ABOUT DR. AISHA ABDUL RAHMAN
She Didn’t Just
Study the Roots.
She Followed Them Home.
Archivist. Genealogist. Transpersonal Counselor. Author. Educator. Sierra Leone Citizen. Ruqor Kargbo.
The Guide Who Has Already Made the Journey
Dr. Aisha Abdul Rahman, PhD is an archivist, genealogist, heritage traveler, author, and educator based in Sacramento, California. She is the founder of Legacy Builders & Empowerment Inc. and Legacy Planning & Preservation LLC — and the creator of Ye-Ruqor, a heritage compound in Newton Springs, Sierra Leone.
She is nearly 50 years old. She is a Sierra Leone citizen. Her Temne name is Ruqor Kargbo — given to her by the chief of Tasso Island, who also gave her his surname. She did not inherit this connection. She traced it, proved it, traveled to it, and built something permanent inside it.
When you come to Ye-Ruqor, you are not being guided by someone who read about this journey.
You are being guided by someone who lived it.
HER CREDENTIALS
The Work Behind the Vision
Sierra Leone Citizen Obtained Sierra Leone citizenship through DNA testing in 2022. Received her Temne name Ruqor Kargbo from the chief of Tasso Island. Carries both Temne and Mende lineage in Sierra Leone.
Archivist & Genealogist Professionally trained in archival science and genealogical research. Founder of Legacy Planning & Preservation LLC — a WOSB and EDWOSB certified archival digitization consulting firm.
Educator Faculty at Sierra Community College teaching genealogy, genetic genealogy, and family archives. Has guided hundreds of students through the process of tracing their own lineage.
Healer & Counseling Scholar Dr. Aisha holds a PhD in Transpersonal Counseling. The retreat experience is intentionally designed as a healing journey — creating space for guests to process the grief, disconnection, and longing that comes with diaspora identity, and to leave restored.
Author Author of Tracing Our Roots, Reclaiming Our Legacy — available on Amazon. A practical guide for African Americans doing heritage and genealogy research.
“I spent a decade teaching people how to trace their roots.
At some point I had to stop teaching and start doing — all the way.
Sierra Leone was the answer. Ye-Ruqor is what I built when I got there.”— Dr. Aisha Abdul Rahman, Ruqor Kargbo
The Entire Journey Is Documented
Dr. Aisha has documented every step of the Ye-Ruqor journey publicly on her YouTube channel — Roots Reclaimed (@AishaLaDon). 200+ videos. The research. The DNA results. The Sierra Leone trips. The build. The naming ceremony.
You can watch the entire story before you ever set foot on the compound. That transparency is intentional — because trust is earned, not assumed, and Dr. Aisha has nothing to hide.
THE LEGA8CY ECOSYSTEM
Ye-Ruqor Is the Crown Jewel of a 30-Year Vision
Ye-Ruqor does not exist in isolation. It is the physical, experiential culmination of a two-decade body of work that includes published research, genealogy software, archival consulting, college-level teaching, and a personal journey from African American descendant to Sierra Leone citizen.
The LEGA8CY brand — where the 8 is infinity turned on its side — represents a knowledge legacy designed to outlive its creator. Ye-Ruqor is where that legacy becomes something guests can walk inside, touch, taste, and carry home.
Ready to Come Home?
Dr. Aisha will guide you personally through every day of the retreat — the research, the village, the language, the cooking, the ceremony. There are only 4 spots per retreat. Intentionally.
