Written and researched by Tobe Sweeney Jr., founder and creative director of DTOA Designs.
Every DTOA product carries four letters. This is what they mean.
The Taken Ones
DTOA stands for Descendants of the Taken Ones. The name recognizes the millions of African men, women, and children who were taken from their homelands through the transatlantic slave trade and other systems of forced displacement — separated from their families, languages, cultures, names, and nations.
But their story did not end with captivity. Their descendants survived. Their courage, knowledge, creativity, spirituality, and determination continue through us.
A Declaration, Not Just a Name
DTOA is a declaration:
We remember who they were.
We honor what they endured.
We continue what they began.
It represents remembrance, resilience, identity, and reconnection — a commitment to carrying memory forward rather than letting it fade.
Why It Becomes Artwork
History should not be limited to a single month, classroom, museum, or documentary. It should be present in our homes, schools, workplaces, and everyday lives.
That is why DTOA turns history into things you can see, wear, display, and share: a calendar that introduces a family to twelve overlooked historical figures; a T-shirt that makes someone stop and ask, "Who is that?"; a piece of wall art that inspires a child to research an African kingdom; a book that places Black characters at the center of imagined worlds.
That question — "Who is that?" — is where education begins.
Join the Mission
Read more about our full mission, explore the collections, or choose the story that speaks to you from our 277 original designs.
We are the Descendants of the Taken Ones. We carry the memory forward.
Sources and Further Reading
The history behind our name is documented in the following institutional sources. Teachers, students, and researchers are encouraged to explore them directly.
- Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — Slavery and Freedom
- National Park Service — The Middle Passage
- The National Archives (United Kingdom) — The Transatlantic Slave Trade
- UNESCO — Routes of Enslaved Peoples