Our Stories: Open Book featuring Abena Sankofa Imhotep and Tone the MoveMaker

Reserve a seat with other community members to take part in CultureALL’s Open Book project.

The event will begin with an opening that prepares participants for a story-sharing process. Then participants will hear from fellow Iowans Abena Sandkofa Imhotep and Tone the MoveMaker as they share their identities and defining personal moments. Presentations will be followed by facilitated discussion.

Registration is required for this event.

Abena Sankofa Imhotep

Abena Sankofa Imhotep is an award-winning author, transformative thought leader, and the Executive Director of Sankofa Literary & Empowerment Group which creates spaces for lifelong learning that center the literature and scholarship of Black authors. Leading conversations around racial equity and organizational awareness around the country, Abena is an active advocate for education, justice, and humanitarianism.

"As the old song goes, 'time is filled with swift transitions.' Abena Sankofa Imhotep chronicles how, through loss and life, a family can reimagine who they are to each other in the aftermath of transitions."

Tone the MoveMaker

Tone The MoveMaker is a street hustler from Chicago's Southside, who has found his calling as an artist and designer in Mainframe Studios in downtown Des Moines. His mission is to help others turn their struggles into their strengths. In the same way, he has turned his street knowledge and experience selling cocaine into an innovative brand called "Designed by the Streets."

Coming from the streets of Chicago, I learned hustle and business sense from drug dealing and working at McDonald's. From attending Hamburger University and managing a McDonald's franchise in Aurora, Illinois, to running hot dog carts and performance venues in Ames, I grew my entrepreneurial skills and created an innovative brand called "Designed by the Streets" that uses my life expertise to empower others at my Mainframe Studio location.