In Brazil, you will share your perspectives on 500 years of African contributions to the Americas. Be prepared, as well, to learn fresh, new ones from Brazilian colleagues. You will return to school invigorated and enlightened, personally and professionally. On this voyage, you will be introduced to Brazil’s education system, and you will share best practices with peers in curriculum, community outreach, international services, and professional development.

You will explore a history and culture with links to Congo, Angola, Nigeria, and elsewhere. Here in Salvador da Bahia, descendants of Africans brought to Brazil during the Atlantic slave trade created a legacy of tenacity and resilience. Like their US and Caribbean counterparts, Brazilians continue to grapple with slavery’s profound ramifications.

Via roundtable dialogues, school observations, and cultural activities, you will explore heritage and history – but also draw Brazilian comparisons to the US civil rights and Black Lives Matter movements. Alongside Brazilian subject-matter experts and colleague-educators, you will ask whether access to high-quality education is equal, or whether it is the province only of those with means. You will assess gender equality, and ask whether Brazil’s commitment to achieving it is robust. You’ll come to understand how Brazilians view race relative to social class.