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@restorefellows

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The Restore Fellowship is a program at @eatorgchicago that aims to heal descendants of chattel slavery through reconnection to land language & lineage

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Who am I and whose am I? 🌍 These two questions sparked a revolution. When @itsrichwallace, founder of @eatorgchicago, couldn't answer a simple question from a Māori elder in Aotearoa (New Zealand) about his relationship to his first peoples, everything changed. He realized that while he could trace his lineage to Jackson, Mississippi, he had never considered the ancestors who were on the bottom of those slave ships—the ones who chose to live and carried our bloodline to this continent.

The Restore Fellowship was born from this heartbreak, this curiosity, and this determination to answer: Who were we before the harm of chattel slavery? Welcome to a movement of collective reclamation. Welcome home.

Follow our journey @restorefellows as we explore healing through reconnection to land, language, and lineage 🌱

📽️: @kenctures taken in Cotonou, Benin by @restorefellows

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The revolution started 4,000 miles away in Aotearoa (New Zealand). 🇳🇿 In 2023, @itsrichwallace was invited by Evie, a Māori sister, to witness something extraordinary: Indigenous people who had won reparations and shifted their campaign from fighting against the state to fighting for the lives of their people.

They were bringing their youth out of urban settings and back into rural indigenous spaces to heal—addressing the same statistics that plague Black Americans: incarceration, health disparities, education gaps.

But it was one elder's question that changed everything: 'What is your relationship to your first peoples?' Everyone in that international circle—folks from South Africa, Ireland, everywhere—knew their indigenous roots. Except Richard. That moment of embarrassment became a moment of awakening. For a year, Richard spoke on panel after panel, lifting up this concept of healing through reconnection to land, language, and lineage. The Restore Fellowship is what came next—a bridge from that heartbreak to healing, from disconnection to homecoming.

Swipe to see how one question sparked a movement 👉🏽

📽️: @kenctures taken in Cotonou, Benin by @restorefellows

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We stand on the shoulders of revolutionaries.

The Māori people of Aotearoa showed us what's possible when Indigenous wisdom informs systemic change. Over 30 years, they created nothing short of a revolution—building alternatives to incarceration, centering connection and dignity, and proving that healing happens when people return to their roots.

Special gratitude to @afre_global and the conveners who opened this pathway: Evie O'Brien, whose invitation changed everything and who taught us that solutions driven by culture are transferable; Tui Tahuipare Ah Loo and Marcus, whose work demonstrated that the 'impossible... is possible.' Their message was clear: Instead of keeping people in prison, they created a Māori pathway focused on returning folks home.

We honor their vision as we build our own pathway from Chicago to Benin—proof that Indigenous models of restoration can cross oceans and transform lives. ✊🏽 taken in Aotearoa New Zealand by @restorefellows

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"Being able to see how it was experienced by a previous cohort filled in my imagination and connected directly to this idea of reparations was powerful." - @rogerbonair

During our EAT Film Festival, incoming Restore Fellow Roger from Cohort 2026 shared how watching The Big Payback and The Restore Fellowship Documentary expanded his vision for reparative justice.

For Roger, seeing how local campaigns like Evanston can metastasize into a federal movement showed that local efforts are never isolated. Just as vital was seeing how physical, bodily, and spiritual healing in the Restore film connects directly to the broader fight for complete repair.

True reparations require full healing, spiritual reconnection, and economic power back home.

That vision is why Equity and Transformation is pushing for House Bill 5815 (HB 5815). By passing HB 5815 and establishing the Illinois Freedom Fund, we channel cannabis tax revenue directly into system impacted Black communities across Illinois.

📽️: @differ.ent.media + @kyleameeks taken in Chicago, Illinois by @restorefellows

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"To know who you are is to know who you were." - @daeskigotbanned

During our festival feature talkback, director Ken Williams Jr. (@kenctures) talked with the inaugural Restore Fellows to reflect on their life changing journey from Chicago to Benin, West Africa.

Fellows Nicole (@brown_suga0216), Shabazza (@sewinmonster), Malcolm (@malcolmlondon), and Dae Dae shared how returning to ancestral land transformed their perspective on entrepreneurship, spiritual reclamation, and history. As Malcolm London shared during the panel, this documentary is far more than cinema. It is a revolutionary project dedicated to cultural preservation and resistance.

Fellows not in attendance:
@dr_quiqui78
OG No IG Greg

The Restore Fellowship Documentary has officially been nominated for a Midwest Emmy Award! @chi_natas

You can watch and support the film across multiple platforms:
• Currently streaming globally on @kwelitv
• Making its official television premiere on CAN TV on October 16

Watch the full talkback on YouTube, stream the documentary on kweliTV, and follow @restorefellows for updates and future Fellowship stories 🧘🏽‍♂️

📺: https://youtu.be/hl8F6-ldN6c
📽️: @tlntd.mp3 + @kyleameeks + @kenctures taken in ACX Harper Theater by @restorefellows

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10 days ago

"You do not come back the same person. When you touch the land and stand where the ancestors stood, it is a different type of feeling." - @chiguy_jo

During our festival talkback, Restore Fellowship Cohort 2025 fellows Josiah and Jaleesa reflected on the transformative ripple effect of returning to West Africa. As Equity and Transformation Director Glenn Taylor shared, when one fellow completes this experience, they return home equipped to reach and impact ten more lives.

For Jaleesa, the journey brought an overwhelming sense of safety, ancestral connection, and deep peace. For Josiah, it was a personal fulfillment of his late grandfather's lifelong guidance to go home, allowing him to bring back generational wisdom and open new doors of opportunity for his family and friends.

Restoration is not just an individual journey. It is a collective movement. When we heal our people, we rebuild our entire community.

That same commitment to holistic restoration drives our fight for House Bill 5815 (HB 5815). By establishing the Illinois Freedom Fund, we ensure that direct economic resources and cash transfers go straight into the hands of system impacted Black communities across Illinois.

Full talkback panel on YouTube and sign the HB 5815 petition today.

📺: https://youtu.be/J8Fvung8wJo
📽️: @kenctures & @tlntd.mp3 taken in ACX Harper Theater by @restorefellows

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brb , needed to touch the land.
#restore taken in Ouidah, Benin by @restorefellows

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A journey rooted in healing. A story recognized by the academy. 🏆

We are incredibly honored to announce that The Restore Fellowship Documentary has been nominated for a Midwest Emmy® Award in Category #401: Outstanding Achievement of Documentary - Cultural 🥂

This film is more than a cinematic project; it is a movement. It follows courageous, system-impacted individuals from Chicago as they reclaim their ancestral heritage in Benin, West Africa...bridging modern reparations with deep, necessary psychological healing.

Infinite gratitude to the FELLOWS and team and who made this possible 👏🏽

Cohort 2024 Fellows:
@sewinmonster
@brown_suga0216
@dr_quiqui78
@OG Greg
@daeskigotbanned
@malcolmlondon

🎬 Directed, Edited, Shot, & Produced by Ken Williams Jr (owner of @kenctures)
🎯 Producer & Executive Producer Richard Wallace @itsrichwallace (@eatorgchicago)

Thank you to the @nataschicago chapter for this recognition, and to every festival that supported us on this journey from day one, since it's World Premiere home @Xlfilmfestival last August

📺 Stream the documentary now on @kwelitv to see the journey.

Scan the last slide for more 🤜🏽🤛🏽 taken in Chicago, Illinois by @restorefellows

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a month ago

👑 FEATURED SPOTLIGHT: THE RESTORE FELLOWSHIP DOCUMENTARY 👑

What does true restoration look like when system-impacted individuals reconnect with their ancestral roots in West Africa?

At the inaugural Equity & Transformation (EAT) Film Festival, we are proud to present the recently Emmy®-nominated The Restore Fellowship Documentary (58 min) as our final anchor feature in Block 2!

🌍 ABOUT THE FILM
This award-winning and Emmy®-nominated documentary follows five system-impacted Chicago residents on a transformative 10 Day journey and experience in Benin, West Africa. Reconnecting with the Fongbe language, ancestral lands, sacred forests, and local leaders, the fellows navigate a deeply emotional path through the history of the transatlantic slave trade, intergenerational trauma, and spiritual reclamation.

💡 THE VISIONARIES BEHIND THE MOVEMENT
Born out of the visionary leadership of Richard Wallace @itsrichwallace (Founder and Executive Director of Equity & Transformation) and brought to life through the lens of Emmy®-nominated director Ken Williams Jr. (Founder of @kenctures), this project bridges local economic justice in Chicago with global frameworks for reparative justice.
Together, Rich's commitment to centering system-impacted communities and the formerly incarcerated and Ken’s creative direction and storytelling turned lived experience into powerful cinema built for real policy reform.

🗣️ LIVE FEATURE Q&A PANEL
Stick around after the film for a powerful closing discussion featuring:
Ken Williams Jr. — Director & Creative Lead
Cohort 2024 Fellows — Sharing firsthand reflections from their journey from Chicago to Benin.

🗓️ Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
📍 Location: Harper Theater (5238 S Harper Ave, Chicago, IL)
🕒 Block 2 (Feature Block): Doors open at 6:15 PM | Program begins at 6:15 PM
🎟️ Capacity is strictly limited to 76 seats! Check the comments to claim your Block 2 ticket on Eventbrite 👍🏽 taken in ACX Harper Theater by @restorefellows

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25 days ago

🌍 WORLD PREMIERE SPOTLIGHT: THE RESTORE FELLOWSHIP COHORT 2025 🌍

The World Premiere of The Restore Fellowship Cohort 2025 — the highly anticipated follow-up to the recently Emmy®-nominated Restore Fellowship Documentary will Premier this Saturday!

Catch this exclusive screening at the inaugural Equity & Transformation (EAT) Film Festival during our afternoon Shorts Block!

ABOUT THE FILM
Produced by Equity & Transformation (EAT), the Diaspora News Network and Kenctures Inc, directed by Christian Uche, this powerful installment expands its scope beyond Chicago to include fellows from across the United States. Standing on the historic grounds of the transatlantic slave trade in West Africa, meeting with local leaders and the sitting Woman King, visiting sacred forests, and witnessing the resilience of informal economies, the fellows navigate a deeply emotional journey of ancestral connection, truth-telling, and restoration.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Christian Uche @shotatchris is a visionary storyteller and creative director dedicated to centering Black liberation, lived experience, and community-led economic empowerment through high-impact documentary cinema.

Anchored in the United Nations’ pillar of Rehabilitation, this film highlights how holistic healing, global solidarity, and economic justice power real-world policy change.

📲 CAN'T MAKE THE SCREENING IN PERSON?
If you are located out of state or unable to join us live in Chicago, don't worry! The Restore Fellowship Cohort 2025 will be officially released on YouTube shortly after the festival. Make sure you subscribe to our Channel so you don't miss it.

🗓️ Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
📍 Location: Harper Theater (5238 S Harper Ave, Chicago, IL)
🕒 Block 1 (Shorts Block): Doors open at 4:00 PM | Program starts at 4:20 PM
🗣️ Live Q&A: Stick around after the screening for an interactive Q&A panel featuring the filmmakers and cohort fellows!
🎟️ Capacity is strictly limited to 76 seats! Click the link in the pinned post at the top of our pageto claim your Block 1 ticket on Eventbrite and sign the Illinois Future Fund petition today! taken in Chicago, Illinois by @restorefellows

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Meet Tiara 👋🏽

Tiara (@thetiaracooper) is a criminal justice organizer, strategist, and dedicated human rights advocate whose work centers on decarceration, bail reform, and death penalty abolition. Propelled into a life of grassroots organizing following her own lived experience with the criminal legal system as a teen, Tiara has spent her career fighting mass incarceration, felony disenfranchisement, and structural white supremacy. She has held executive leadership roles in civil rights organizations...including serving as Director of In Defense of Black Lives and Deputy Director of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, leading campaigns that successfully secured bail reform and the release of over one thousand pre-trial detainees.

For Tiara, the Restore Fellowship represents an essential space to deepen community-led alternatives to punishment, centering directly impacted individuals while reconnecting movement-building with global, indigenous frameworks for justice and healing. 💪🏽 by @restorefellows

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Derrick is a single father of three from the West Side of Chicago (Austin area), originally born in Memphis, Tennessee. Tracing his family history only as far back as his great-grandparents, Derrick entered the fellowship determined to dismantle the eurocentric narratives taught in schools that minimize pre-colonial African civilization.

Driven to patch the holes in his family's lineage, Derrick is using this experience to see the reality of the continent with his own eyes so he can pass the tangible truth down to his children and grandchildren, bridging the gap between historical myth and lived connection.

🔌: @eatorgchicago
🎥: @kenctures & @tlntd.mp3
🎵: @daeskigotbanned taken in Chicago, Illinois by @restorefellows

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