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Ms. Dawson from Columbia SC is requesting a class trip through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

Rites of Passage Field Study

Help me give my students an experience that connects or strengthens their connections with ancestral African roots while tapping into their power, pride, and self-confidence in ALL of who they are.

  • $534 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Celebrate Black Teachers and Students

This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.

My Students

My students are bold, brilliant, teen-agers. They are filled with curiosity, genius, and creativity.

My students love learning history and challenging history with critical consciousness questions.

Specifically, we ask every text we read:

1. Who is the author?

2. Can we trust him/her/them?

3. Whose voices are missing?

My students love to challenge, and I love their fearlessness, free thought, and spunk! While most have a healthy sense of self-pride, some do not.

Also, some seem to see anything associated with their & humanity's collective African heritage as a joke. For instance, when I play West African music in class, some laugh at the sound of the different languages, & imitate them in a joking manner. While some of that is teen-age silliness, I fear that it also stems from them not being exposed enough to Africa as a place of astounding power, diversity, and genius - a place to honor & learn from, NOT a place to scorn, dismiss, joke about, or feel sorry for.

The project I'm requesting funding for is a pilot field study connecting to the Asante principle of Sankofa, self-pride, and self-determination.

My Project

Twenty middle school students are going on a sacred field study to Charleston, SC April, 1, 2019. Upon arrival, the students will experience a historical tour, then enjoy lunch at a restaurant. To close the day, students will travel to Sullivan's Island, the "Ellis Island" for African-Americans. There, the Queen of the Gullah Geechee nation, Queen Quet, will officiate an ancestral tribute in honor of those enslaved people who were brought from Africa and survived the Middle Passage horrors to build South Carolina and the United States. This sacred ceremony is partially paid for by the school I work for. However, I myself am paying the remaining $517 and am asking for help with that.

Ms. Dawson
Grades 6-8

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Component Company Total
Activity Julia Dawson - reimbursement $417.00

Trip cost

$417.00

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$6.26

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$453.26

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$79.99

Total project goal

$533.25

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $533.25

1 Donor

-$524.42

Donations toward project cost

-$453.26

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$71.16

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$8.83

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Dawson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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