As 15 students gear up to visit Ghana, the director of the Black American Studies Program is supporting their trip with a great contribution.

The Rev. Joseph Brown will have book signings from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Newman Catholic Center, 715 S. Washington. The proceeds made at the book signing from his two books, To Stand On the Rock:Meditations on Black Catholic Identity and A Retreat with Thea Bowman and Bede Abram:Leaning On the Lord, will be put toward a scholarship fund for the trip.

The program, African Cultural Continuities, was proposed last fall by Nancy Dawson, an assistant professor in Black American Studies. This is the first time the Study Abroad Program will allow students to travel to Ghana, a West African nation with a population of more than 17 million.

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Fund raising, such as candy sales, for the trip began in early March. Brown said money made from his book signing is important in supporting the trip.

The cost of the trip is $3,640 for each student. Students paid a $250 deposit in February.

It’s something I don’t like to do, he said, but it’s important. It’s going to help people who are going on the trip. Because we have to do something and we can’t wait forever for things to happen for us. It just makes sense.

George Williams, an unclassified graduate from Mt. Vernon, has sold candy for about a week. He has made $29 so far, and said he will keep raising funds until it is time to leave for Ghana. He has always wanted to visit Africa.

I really want to go to see what I’m missing, Williams said. I feel a connection with Africa. This is just what I was looking for because we’ve been disconnected from each other.

Brown said the trip to Ghana is not a one-time trip for the Black American Studies Program, so funds are also being raised for similar programs the department will offer in the future.

We’re always going to have a need, Brown said. We’re going to start getting funds for the future.

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