GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Grand Valley State University kicks off "Remembering the Crossings" a year-long series of events in West Michigan to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
On January 25, the Vice Chancellor of Ghana's University of Cape Coast, Rev. Dr. E. Obeng, will speak at 7 p.m. on "Sankofa: Contemporary Ghana and the Historiography of the Slave Experience." Special guests will include His Excellency Dr. Kwame Bawuah-Edusei, Ghana's ambassador to the U.S. The event is free and open to the public at Grand Valley's Loosemore Auditorium and Regency Room, DeVos Center, 401 W. Fulton, Grand Rapids.
Obeng is well respected internationally as a scholar and administrator. Under his leadership at Cape Coast, the university population has quadrupled and educational quality has excelled. What was once a low-profile university is today Ghana's most prestigious university.
An ordained Reverend Minister of the Presbyterian Church, Ghana, Obeng is currently in charge of the St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Cape Coast. He started his university teaching career as a lecturer at Cape Coast in 1981, in the Department of Religious Studies. For 22 years he has lectured at various universities in Africa and at international conferences.
This event is the first of many in West Michigan throughout the year planned by the "Remembering the Crossings" committee started by Steeve Buckridge, a member of the Department of History and associate faculty in the African/African-American Studies at Grand Valley.
The committee includes representatives from Aquinas College, Calvin College, Cooley Law School, Cornerstone University Libraries, Davenport University, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Rapids Public Library, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Gerald R. Ford Museum, Grand Valley State University, Hope College, Public Museum of Grand Rapids and the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan.
Buckridge said the purpose of the commemoration is to educate the public about the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the residual effects that still linger today. It is estimated that between 10 and 21 million Africans were sold into slavery between the 1500s and 1800s. Many Africans were imprisoned in castle dungeons along the West African coast before being crowded onto slave ships that sailed to the Americas and Europe. In 1807 the British Parliament outlawed the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, followed by the U.S. in 1808.
Upcoming events include:
- GVSU series of guest lectures on the history of the slave trade, slavery and modern human trafficking.
- GVSU Art Gallery exhibition, "Them: Images of Separation," during February and March, featuring guest lecturer David Pilgrim and items from the Ferris State University Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.
- March 14-16 Samba Gadjigo, professor of Francophone Studies at Mount Holyoke College, will lead discussions during a GVSU film festival about Senegal's most admired filmmaker, Ousman Sembene, and screenings of his films "Black Girl" and "Moolaade."
- An organized tour of the Underground Railroad with Veta Tucker, GVSU associate professor of English.
All events are open to the public. For more details about the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a complete list of Remembering the Crossings events at area institutions visit www.gvsu.edu/abolition or contact Steeve Buckridge at the GVSU Department of History, (616) 331-3298.
