Taki Sarhaan
CEO/Founder, The Sarhaan Group, LLC
 

Our Story

A graduate of Alabama A&M University (1993), Taki Sarhaan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. He worked at AAMU for five years as the Special Assistant to the President’s wife at the university.  As an employee of AAMU, Taki also earned a Master of Science degree in Business Education (1998).  After graduation, he  taught for six years as a Business Law and Business Essentials teacher in Birmingham, AL. In 2000, he received his Instructional Leadership Certification from Jacksonville State University.

 

Taki Sarhaan, on a quest for knowledge and truth, received a book from a fraternity brother (Kappa Alpha Psi) that ignited an unwavering fire for him to take a deep dive into the knowledge of self. This introduction was extremely powerful as it shifted Taki’s life and the way that he views the world.  He changed his name in 1999 from his birth name, Clyde A. Bush Jr., to Taki Sarhaan.  Taki Sarhaan is Swahili for “God Fearing,” and “Free.” 

 

While teaching at a high school in 2001, Taki entered law school at Miles College in Birmingham, AL, with the goal of becoming a civil rights attorney and sports agent.  However, after one year of law school, he was offered an assistant principal position at a nearby hIgh school, and has since served as a school administrator for the past 19 years.  Known as a transformative leader, he is currently principal at the second largest high school in the Jefferson County School District.  

 

Taki Sarhaan, a true artist at heart, was born in Dayton, Ohio, but was raised in Anniston, Alabama.  Growing up in Anniston, he was always captivated by the artwork that surrounded him.  For as long as he can remember, there was always artwork by one of his uncles, Mr. James E. Tatum, hanging on the walls of the homes of his grandmother, his mother, and his other uncles.  Taki loved his uncle’s artwork so much that his grandmother began to loan him artwork to hang in his own apartments.  From that time until present, Taki has always had some of Tatum’s work in his homes, and when his grandmother passed away in 2011, James gave him permission to keep the majority of his artwork that Mrs. Josephine Tatum housed since the early 1970’s.  Although Taki has always been passionate about helping and mentoring high school students, his artistic heart increasingly emerged. His uncle’s artwork became an undying passion. 

 

The Holy Spirit quickened Taki in 2019 to transpose his passion for his uncle James’ artwork into a business. Taki literally leaped with joy as he called his uncle and asked for permission to turn his art into a gallery. Mr. James E. Tatum, overwhelmed with gratitude, eagerly obliged. However, Mr. Tatum had one stipulation; he wanted his two sons, Jamaal Tatum and Tunde Adeyemi’s artwork to be a part of the gallery as well.  Jamaal and Tunde are phenomenal artists in their own rights, and they were trained by their father. Although this quickening of the Spirit birthed the art gallery, The Jimmie Frank Collection, the Sarhaan Group already existed through Taki’s relationship with Jamaal. Taki has managed Jamaal’s career as a basketball player, model, clothing line owner, and actor/producer/director since 2003.

  

Jimmie Frank Tatum, James E. Tatum’s younger brother was murdered on Halloween night at the age of 17 in 1973.  As a four year old child, this murder had a tremendous impact on Taki’s life. He vowed to somehow keep his uncle Jimmie Frank’s life and legacy alive. Taki collaborated with his uncle James and his two sons to name the gallery in honor of Jimmie Frank. 

 

The logo for the Sarhaan Group and The Jimmie Frank Collection is a piece of artwork that James E. Tatum created in 1982 entitled, “A Message from my Brother.”  The circular piece is full of letters that resemble hieroglyphics, communicating the spiritual message that James E. Tatum received from Jimmie Frank.  Although Jimmie Frank has been gone for 50 years, his spirit is still very much alive as it impacts the Sarhaan Group daily. Taki Sarhaan is also writing a book about this traumatic experience that will eventually evolve into a full-length film.