Crossing the Waters Institute for Cultural Exchange (CTW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to healing the historical wounds of the transatlantic slave trade by reconnecting descendants of the African Diaspora with their ancestral roots. Operating in both the United States and South Africa, CTW creates opportunities for cultural exchange, creative exploration, and holistic healing through education, the arts, and healthy living initiatives.
At its heart, CTW builds bridges between Africa and its global descendants, between memory and imagination, and between communities seeking peace, truth, and reconciliation. Through immersive programs, artistic residencies, and pilgrimages of remembrance, participants are invited into sacred spaces where they can reflect, create, and envision a future rooted in shared humanity and liberation.
CTW’s origin is directly inspired and the furthering of The Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage (1998-1999), a profound journey that retraced the transatlantic slave trade route from the U.S. to West Africa, culminating in Cape Town, South Africa. Although South Africa was not a port of departure during the trade, it was decided the journey would end there, as many saw South Africa as a great place of hope and transformation in the struggle for African liberation. Several of CTW’s founding members walked that pilgrimage, carrying with them the spiritual commitment to never forget, never repeat, and always remember the lives lost and the wisdom left behind.
Guided by its Founder and Executive Director, Ingrid Askew, an artist, activist, and cultural organizer, CTW integrates spirituality, art, and education to foster collective healing and empowerment. Ingrid’s lifelong commitment to ancestral memory and social transformation shapes CTW as both an organization and a living movement, one that transforms the legacy of loss into a legacy of liberation.
By partnering with artists, educators, faith leaders, and community organizations across Africa and the Diaspora, CTW continues to “cross the waters,” creating spaces of truth, beauty, and unity where all peoples can reimagine and renew their shared future.