GROUP PHOTO: THE MIDDLE PASSAGE/A SHARED HISTORY OF THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

Yes, we were a dynamic group of dedicated educators--studying at the Kokrobitey Institute near Accra, Ghana, from July 29 to August 7, 2009.

Ten of us were from the USA; ten teachers from the UK; ten educators from Ghana. We enjoyed the scholarship of professors from those three areas of the world too. I don't know about the numbers of applicants from UK or Ghana, but I did learn about how many teachers applied from America....over 250! To be chosen as one of the ten Americans means it was a tremendous honor for me. I'm just a lucky, blessed guy!

Initially, the American group was simply told there would be ten educators from the UK. What we were not told was most of that group was from Liverpool, England. And most of them worked for the Liverpool Museums--specifically, the Museum of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition. Everyone knows that Liverpool was the original home of the boys they called The Beatles. Not many people know Liverpool's maritime history and the pivotal part it played in the transatlantic slave trade. Liverpool's involvement made it number one--the leader in ships leaving its port to what was then known as the Gold Coast. It was all a revelation to me.