Written By Bowie State University Newsroom
Bowie State University students and faculty members will spend their spring break, March 17-23, participating in numerous activities in London, Panama and Atlanta that will broaden the students’ knowledge and increase their understanding of the places they visit. While in the capital of the United Kingdom, students will see BSU alum and Tony Award winner Myles Frost perform in MJ: The Musical at the Prince Edward Theater in London’s West End, visit Buckingham Palace and see the Crown Jewels. The tour is led by Dean George Acquaah, and two faculty of the College of Arts & Sciences.
The group will participate in several activities focused on exploring UK perspectives around social justice including a workshop and walking tour with Journey to Justice, a non-profit organization whose mission is to galvanize people to take action for social justice through learning about human rights movements and the arts. Students will also take a Black history tour of London and visit Oxford University which is examining its history related to the slave trade.
BSU students will engage with students and faculty members at Bath Spa University, one of three Adobe Creative Campuses in the U.K. to explore shared perspectives using the creative tools. The trip to Central America has been designed for students to learn about Congo culture in Portobelo, Panama and experience the country’s physical and cultural landscape. In the 1500s, thousands of enslaved Africans arrive in Portobelo. Today their descendants still display their vibrant Congo heritage including food, art and other cultural mainstays.
Dr. Sumanth Reddy, assistant professor of geography and Outdoor Club Advisor, leads the Panama excursion and with the students will receive an introduction to Congo culture and participate in dance, drumming, costume making and painting workshops. The students will also visit the Embera community, an indigenous people of approximately 33,000 who mainly live along rivers in Panama and Columbia.
BSU’s Panamanian travelers will tour Old Panama City, the Panama Canal and dedicate some time to hike and explore in the lush green environment.
Students participating in the Atlanta Alternative Spring Break Tour will have the opportunity to experience first-hand the places that are engrained in African American and civil rights history. The capital of Georgia has numerous historical landmarks and sites, most notable the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr.
The students will volunteer their time to work in the community by participating in a service project assisting the less fortunate living in Atlanta’s African American neighborhoods.
Other civil rights sites in Atlanta that students will visit include the King Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.