The Maafa Redemption Project

“MAAFA,” a Kiswahili word meaning “the great disaster,” is commonly used to refer to the tragic history of the Transatlantic African Slave Trade and its enduring effects in the present-day. In 2000, the term was re-appropriated and reimagined by New Mount Pilgrim Church, a key stake-holder in West Garfield Park, Chicago. The church commissioned a twenty-five-foot stained glass window entitled “MAAFA Remembrance,” to commemorate the history, as well as inspire observers to commit to the redemptive work of transforming self and community. The window now serves as New Mount Pilgrim’s brand; encapsulating its mission and ministry. Accordingly, the Pilgrim Development Corporation, the church’s social and economic development arm, has created the MAAFA Redemption Project, an initiative targeting and investing in the neighborhood's most vulnerable population: African American males. The project's overall goal is linked to the church’s ongoing ministry: transforming West Garfield Park one life at a time.