A group of University of Memphis students and faculty along with five Memphis area school teachers paid it forward this summer through an African and African-American Institute on campus for high school students.
The group was selected to participate in a Ghana study abroad program, funded by an anonymous donor, from June 7 to June 23.
The University professors chose students and teachers who were excited about the potential experience and were willing to learn.
“Arriving in Ghana was an out-of-body experience for me,” D’Onna James, a junior marketing major, said. “I was like a sponge ready to soak it all in.”
K.T. Ewing, who is pursuing a doctorate in history, also expressed a similar experience upon her arrival in Ghana. She said that she was excited when she first stepped off the plane. “I thought [to myself] we’re actually here.”
“One of my first thoughts when we were on the bus [headed to the hotel] was that their earth looked like the Mississippi red clay that I’m used to,” Ewing said. “I was exhilarated, because this was going to be a new experience, but also because I saw something that reminded me of the comforts of home.”
The group was taught to make connections between Ghana and the U.S. throughout the entire trip. One of the many connections that was made during the trip were the visits to slave castles, Cape Coast and Elmina.
Ewing said she has been teaching students about the slave castles for years, but actually standing inside of them has changed the way that she sees it.
“If I had to describe this [experience] in one word, it would be transformative,” she said. “It’s one thing to know and teach history, it’s another to actually take that walk for yourself.”
Brian Walker, a visual arts teacher at Hickory Ridge Middle School, said that the visit to the castles was an emotional one for him.
“The ability to walk through a place where my ancestors derived from and see the things that they went through was a great experience,” he said.
The students expressed that they learned many things to share with others throughout the program.
“I’ve been studying African and African-American history for years, but it seems like every time that I stepped into the classroom, I learned more than I could have ever imagined,” Rheannan Watson, a senior English and African and African-American studies major, said.
James said going to Ghana opened her eyes to a lot, and she has learned that there are many things that Americans take for granted.
“In America we have so much, but we still find room to complain,” she said.
After learning about Ghanaian history and cultures as well as the connections that Ghana has to African-American culture, the group prepared to teach high school students from June 30 to July 12.
The high school students participated in lectures, visited sites in Memphis and learned about Ghanaian culture. They even practiced Ghanaian customs, such as dancing, drumming and bead making.
Arielle Reed, who is pursuing a Master’s degree in Egyptology, said she observed many of the high school students as they began to look more critically at the past.
“Our trip to the Civil Rights Museum affected some of the students emotionally,” she said.
The students were able to use the previous lectures as a reference during the museum tour and it opened up their minds to the history of the museum.
Dorali Moctezuma, a junior at Douglass High School, said she enjoyed everything about the institution, especially how the professors and teachers showed proof of things instead of just telling the students what happened.
“The teachers were very cheerful, positive and they always tried to get us [the high school students] involved in the discussions,” Moctezuma said.
“When I go back to school in the fall, I will tell my peers to try to make connections when studying history,” she said.
Moctezuma went on to say that she would love to visit Ghana someday.
“It seems like everyone had a great time being introduced to the culture and traditions,” she said.
The group of students, faculty and teachers were able to experience a life changing study abroad trip to Ghana. The high school students were also able to learn more about African and African American history and culture, all due to one generous, anonymous donor.
