ABOUT OUR WJM LOGO...

Nicknamed the "Radiant Magnolia", our new family logo is literally centuries in the making with elements culled from our collective WJM history and our African ancestors.  In practical terms, it's designed to help make our family correspondence and printed materials look modern and unified.  In an effort to keep our gaze on the future while bringing our history with us, we are branding ourselves...  and what a lovely brand it is!  Perhaps most importantly, though, we hope that our seal will serve as a constant reminder of the bonds and endurance of our William Johnson Moy family.  All great families have a seal or a crest, why shouldn't ours?

The Radiant Magnolia design is loaded with meaning and symbolism starting with our family flower, the magnolia.  And even our family color of pink has significance in our new logo.  There's more info on both the flower and the color below.

In the seal, you'll notice that the four largest petals of our magnolia each have a symbol.  These symbols are called Adinkra and were used by the Ashanti people in western Africa to visually communicate complex and nuanced practices, values and beliefs.  There were many dialects spoken in this region and perhaps these symbols acted as a visual shorthand among the disparate tribes.   They used these symbols, via woodcuts, to decorate fabric, furnishings and jewelry among many other objects.  With this in mind, our seal was designed to resemble a stylized, updated woodcut.  

ADINKRA

There are many Adinkra, but our seal features five (four in the magnolia petals and one in each of the four corners).  Going clockwise around the flower they are:

BESE SAKA 

"sack of cola nuts"

symbol of affluence, power, abundance, plenty, togetherness and unity

The cola nut played an important role in the economic life of Ghana. A widely-used cash crop, it is closely associated with affluence and abundance. This symbol also represents the  role of agriculture and trade in bringing peoples together.

OSRAM NE NSOROMMA

"The Moon and the Star"

symbol of love, faithfulness, harmony.  

This symbol reflects the harmony that exists in the bonding of family.   An Accompanying Proverb reads as follows: "Kyekye pe aware." (The North Star has a deep love for marriage.  She is always in the sky waiting for the return of the moon, her partner.)

SANKOFA

"return and get it"

symbol of importance of honoring and learning from the past.  

This symbol is an abstraction of a bird with a downward curving neck  who is looking at the mirror of itself, thus forming a scrolled heart shape.  Sankofa is an African word from the Akan tribe in Ghana.  The literal translation of the word and the symbol is “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.”  The Akans believe that there must be movement and new learning as time passes. As this forward march proceeds, the knowledge of the past must never be forgotten.  Can you think of a better symbol to represent the power of family?  

NYAME NTI

"by God's grace"

symbol of faith and trust in God

According to The Adinkra Dictionary by W. Bruce Willis, "This stalk is depicted as the staff of life in many cultures. It symbolizes to the Akan that food is a basis of life and that they could   not survive if not for the food that God has placed here on Earth for their nourishment. "

ADINKRAHENE

"Chief of the Adinkra"

symbol of greatness, charisma, royalty and leadership

This symbol is said to have played an inspiring role in the designing of other symbols. it signifies the importance of playing a leadership role.  There are two proverbs that are closely tied to this symbol:   "No matter how small a king is, he is not carried by one person."  And, "He who wants to become king in the future begins by learning how to serve."  It is said that the concentric circles of this symbol represent the ripples of water formed from a single drop of water.

THE MAGNOLIA & WJM PINK

It's been said that there are no coincidences, and yet It's arguable that our reunion founders and torchbearers intentionally chose these components knowing the power and significance that they now hold for the WJM family.  Let's just say that there's a remarkable and enduring resonance in these symbols and we're carrying them with us on our journey onward. 

MAGNOLIA

symbol of nobility, perseverance and purity

The magnolia is a unique flower as it grows on a tree; the fruit of it's limbs... much the way a family grows.  Our family's first reunions were held in Monroe, of course, and the magnolia is the state flower of Louisiana.  So in addition to being a metaphor for the fruit of a family tree this beautiful flower served as a sweet reminder of their beloved Monroe as the family migrated North and West.  Finally,  the magnolia is an ancient symbol of nobility, perseverance and purity.

WJM PINK

symbol of compassion, nurturing and love

Yes, we named our pink and it's just for us.  It's not as soft as the pink we've used before.  It's a little deeper with a touch of blue in it... Think of raspberry sherbet.  Anyway, here's what pink means, assembled from myriad sources:  

 The color pink represents unconditional love and understanding, and the giving and receiving of nurturing.  A combination of red and white, pink contains the need for action of red, helping it to achieve the potential for success and insight offered by white.  It is the passion and power of red softened with the purity, openness and completeness of white.  

The deeper the pink, the more passion and energy it exhibits.  WJM PINK is deep.