Welcome to the beginning of a New Year and New Decade. Both occasions are full of potential and offer numerous opportunities for growth and advancement. But the ability to recognize and take advantage of that potential is often determined by our perspective of the past. This is why the ancient Romans named the first month of the year January–in honor of the Janus, god of endings and beginnings. Janus was depicted with two heads.  One head faced left and looked to the past, the other head faced right and looked towards the future.

 This capacity for “double vision” is important if one is to have a meaningful life. It represents the process of bringing the knowledge of the previous year into the present so that one may consciously direct one’s movement throughout the New Year in order to achieve favorable outcomes. This process is also referred to as “living in citations” or “cultural memory” and is a means of ensuring the continued development of a people by providing behavioral models for personal and collective advancement.

 On our Egypt on the Potomac Field Trips we reference the double-headed eagles on the Scottish Rite Temples on 16^th Street and the Ghanaian concept of Sankofa as two contemporary examples of “living in citations.” Our Wisdom Wednesday sessions also provide monthly opportunities to learn and grow from our discussions of past, present and future events. One of the primary missions of IKG is to provide positive information about the worldwide African experience so that we may move forward, continuously drawing upon the meaningful accomplishments of our ancestors. This becomes increasingly important as we find ourselves confronting new social, political and economic challenges on a daily basis.

 We have a number of exciting projects this year that are the source of my growing optimism. The first project is the addition of a new cultural field trip of the city called the Decoding The Lost Symbol Tour (inspired by Dan Brown’s latest novel) that will begin in the spring. We are also going into our 2^nd year with the ASA Restoration Project and will be taking another group to Egypt this summer to work on the excavation site in Luxor. You can find more details about the project by viewing the link on this website, and you can also get information on our 2010 Study Tour to Egypt.

 We will lay the foundation for our Cultural Circles beginning with our March 17^th Wisdom Wednesday meeting where we will discuss Dr. Asa Hilliard’s book SBA: The Reawakening of the African Mind. On April 21 we will discuss Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization and May 19 we will review Dr. Hilliard’s Master Keys to the Study of Ancient Kemet. On June 16 we will formally introduce our Ivan van Sertima Cultural Circles and begin training groups to take this knowledge to their respective communities. These sessions are open to the public and you may prepare for them by reading the appropriate book for each monthly meeting.

 Throughout the year IKG will offer a number of informative discussions on a variety of issues. On January 29, I will have a presentation on the film AVATAR and discuss the social, political and spiritual relevance of this important movie. Above and beyond the criticism some have raised about the film, I feel it offers invaluable insights that must not be overlooked or diminished. Perspective is everything. The mindset you bring into the movie theatre or the New Year determines how you perceive both. January reminds us that short sightedness has long lasting consequences. We must look deep into the past in order see the present moment with clarity so that we may envision and create the new world that awaits us.

Anthony T. Browder