OUR MISSION

The phrase “Sema Hadithi” means to “tell the story”.

Sema Hadithi African American Heritage and Culture Foundation strives to “tell the story” of African-ancestored history, heritage, and culture by researching, preserving and disseminating information throughout the community.

By sharing the story of African ancestral families we help to tell the whole story of Utah.

Our Goal

Our primary goals are to promote scholarly research, provide resources for historical studies, and create a network of persons with similar interests. We seek to assist interested parties in documenting Black history in Utah and the Mountain West. We wish to ensure that the community receives this important historical information.

Our Partners

We embrace the diversity of friends, organizations, state and local offices, and corporate entities who wish to work with us to create a space where we can work and share. Working with these partners we hope to create a community of unity through historical truth, honesty in truth, cultural acceptance, respect of heritage, and the fostering of safe spaces to share.

Executive Leadership Team

  • Robert Burch, Executive Director

  • Kirk Huffaker, Deputy Director

  • Alice Faulkner-Burch, Director of Research and Content

  • Shavauna Munster, Director of Web and Online Engagement

  • James Brown, Director of Digital Engagement

  • Josh Deason, Director of Audio-Visual Production

  • Amanda Zornes, Manager of Volunteer Engagement

Board of Trustees

  • Ronnie Pessetto, Chair

  • Lorie Millward, Vice Chair

  • Victoria Kargbo, Executive Secretary

  • Jami Van Huss, Treasurer

  • James Tabery, At-Large

  • Alana Blumenthal, Brigham City Museums

    Douglas Misner, State History Liaison

    W. Paul Reeve, UofU Simmons Chair of Mormon History

    James Tabery, UofU Department of Philosophy and Department of Internal Medicine

    Joseph Stuart

    Barbara Jones Brown

    Adrienne Scott-Ellis, Sowing Seeds of Change

    Rachel Quist, Rachel’s SLC History

    Ronnie Pessetto, Salt Lake Public Lands

    Cassie Clark

    Christine Cooper-Rompato

    Emily Crumpton-Deason

    Marlena Smtih-Wilder

    Ramesus Stewart-Johnson

    Jake Zornes

    Amanda Zornes

    Naomi Strange

  • Buffalo Soldiers Working Group

    Ramesus Stewart-Johnson, Team Leader

    Reilly Jensen

    Adrienne Scott-Ellis

    A. Jerome Christophe

    Matthew Tracy

    Jayrod Garrett

    Preservation Working Group

    Kirk Huffaker, Team Leader

    W. Paul Reeve

    James Tabery

    Ronnie Pessetto

    Black Church Working Group

    Robert Burch

    Utah State University

    Settler Working Group

    Emily Crumpton-Deason, Team Leader

    Rachel Quist

    Black Enclave / Salt Lake City

    Rachel Quist, Team Leader

    Emily Crumpton-Deason

    Black Women Working Group

    Tiffany Greene

    Adrienne Scott-Ellis

    Rachel Quist

    Oral History Working Group

    Alice Faulkner Burch, Team Leader

    Adrienne Scott-Ellis

    Tricia Broadnax