WHAT THIS IS

Ad Astra Sankofa is not just a platform—it is a vessel.

A place where story, analysis, and lived experience meet. A space designed to hold complexity, contradiction, humor, grief, and possibility.

Through podcasting, writing, public projects, and curated resources, Ad Astra Sankofa gathers what is often scattered—bringing it into conversation, reflection, and collective understanding.

WHY IT EXISTS

We are living through a time that asks more of Black and Brown Women than it gives back.

For many of us—especially those navigating systems shaped by white supremacy, capitalism, and ongoing social fragmentation—there are few spaces to be fully honest about what it means to live, care, and survive within these conditions.

Ad Astra Sankofa exists to create those spaces.

Not to simplify reality, but to hold it.
Not to perform clarity, but to explore truth.
Not to isolate, but to build connection.

We hold space for:

FOUNDED BY

Ad Astra Sankofa was founded by Kelly D. Carlisle.

Kelly brings a deep commitment to community, care, and real-world impact shaped by her work in founding Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project and her service in the United States Navy.

Her work sits at the intersection of systems and humanity—grounded in lived experience, leadership, and a clear understanding of the systems that shape everyday life.

Through Ad Astra Sankofa and the NAPPI Podcast, Kelly creates spaces where people can be honest, reflective, and connected—without pressure to perform or simplify their reality.

Ad Astra Sankofa exists to create these spaces.

AN INVITATION

This work is not meant to be observed from a distance, it is meant to be entered.

Whether you are here to listen, to reflect, to find resources, or to be in community—there is a place for you inside this work.