Root Nine Foundation and Institute (R9) | The Official Royal House of Sori

The Root Nine Foundation and Institute
A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization

Mission Statement

The Root Nine Foundation and Institute is named in honor of the nine children of Prince Abdulrahman Ibrahima Ibn Sori, who remained in bondage in Natchez, Mississippi after their father and his wife, Isabella, were emancipated in 1828. The Foundation exists to honor the endurance of these nine children and to preserve their legacy through education, community outreach, and cultural programming, ensuring their history is documented, honored, and carried forward to future generations. The Foundation operates as part of a tiered institutional structure alongside The Official Royal House of Sori®, which holds the founding royal identity and institutional authority, and The National Institute for the Legacy and Cultural Preservation of Prince Abdulrahman Ibrahima Ibn Sori, which is devoted to the systematic scholarly preservation of the Prince's legacy and to community outreach connecting descendant families, scholars, and the public to this history.

Our Institutional Programs

The Root Nine Research Collaborative (R9RC)

The Global Academic Consortium for Restorative Historical Studies serves as an international network of historians, anthropologists, genealogists, linguists, archaeologists, archivists, and social scientists committed to advancing historical understanding through collaborative research, scholarship, and public engagement. The consortium fosters interdisciplinary inquiry into historically significant individuals, communities, events, and cultural legacies that have shaped societies across generations.

Institute for Diasporic Civilizations & Memory Studies (IDCMS)

A Scholarly Division for the Recovery of Suppressed African Histories

Operating under the academic banner of the Root Nine Foundation and Institute, this research division is dedicated to advancing scholarship that recovers, preserves, and amplifies overlooked, marginalized, and historically suppressed African narratives. The Institute offers long-term and visiting research appointments, postdoctoral fellowships, archival residencies, and collaborative scholarly opportunities for researchers committed to historical discovery and preservation.

The Sori Royal Archives & Digital Archives

This initiative serves as a comprehensive digital and physical repository dedicated to preserving, restoring, and expanding access to historically significant African and African diasporic records. The repository curates rare manuscripts, historical maps, translated colonial-era documents, oral history transcripts, genealogical reconstructions, and scholarly collections that illuminate the experiences, achievements, and legacies of African-descended peoples across the globe.

Partners in Purpose: Institutional Collaboration Platform

A Royal Framework for Scholarly and Social Impact Partnerships

The Root Nine Foundation and Institute welcomes collaborative partnerships with universities, academic departments, museums, archives, faith-based institutions, nonprofit organizations, and policy research centers committed to advancing historical understanding, cultural preservation, and restorative scholarship. Through interdisciplinary engagement, the Foundation seeks to foster research, education, and public dialogue at the intersection of history, heritage, faith, law, and social justice.

"Where Royal Legacy Meets Historical Justice"

Our programs are strategically designed to reclaim lost heritage, empower future generations, and establish a scholarly and humanitarian legacy worthy of royal remembrance. Rooted in the story of the Root Nine, our initiatives serve as a bridge between ancient civilizations and the modern diasporic experience, blending academic rigor with restorative justice.