City of New Orleans Hosts Southern University of New Orleans Delegation Ahead of Travels to Sister City Cape Coast, Ghana
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today was joined by Councilmember Eugene Green of District D, Southern University of New Orleans (SUNO) Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Dr. Kim Rugon, Director of the Master of Arts in Museum Studies Program Dr. Haitham Eid and a group of Museum Studies graduate students as they travel to Ghana from March 28 to April 7, capitalizing on the existing sister cities agreement between New Orleans and Cape Coast.
“The relationship between the cities of New Orleans and Cape Coast originated from a slave trade that brought people who were leaders in Ghana to become slaves in this city,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “Today is an example of just how far we have come as one of our local colleges prepares to visit one of our sister cities for the first time ever. This trip also demonstrates why my administration has prioritized activating and reactivating various sister city agreements – to create educational partnerships and developments, including joint research, study abroad and teaching programs for our people. It is my hope that, while abroad, the administrators, faculty and students from SUNO gain insurmountable knowledge from our Cape Coast partners and find additional opportunities to work hand in hand to share tools and resources that address the global crises greatly impacting the places we call home.”
The purpose of this trip is to provide students with unique international experiences that allow them to build cross-cultural competency and leadership skills in an increasingly global society and competitive job market. As this is the first time a local college visits a sister city, this is also an opportunity for SUNO and the City of New Orleans to build bridges between New Orleans and Ghana, which can provide even more economic, social and cultural exchange opportunities for their people.
“Studying abroad gives students a unique opportunity to expand their education and worldview,” said Dr. James H. Ammons, Jr., SUNO Executive Vice President-Chancellor. “As the only degree program in Louisiana for Museum Studies, we are proud to offer our students an opportunity to travel to Ghana, which is in line with our mission of preparing students to participate and contribute to our global society and Mayor Cantrell’s vision for our students to visit and learn in our sister cities.”
While in Ghana, the SUNO delegation will visit several museums, cultural institutions and universities, including the Ghana National Museum, the University of Ghana, Elmina Slave Castle Museum and Cape Coast Slave Castle, which former President Barack Obama and his family visited in 2009.
“Ghana has an interesting history as the first Black African country to achieve independence from colonial rule. It is a constitutional democracy of 28 million citizens with considerable national wealth and a rich history as an exporter of products and international trade,” said Councilmember Green. “It is good that Southern University at New Orleans is facilitating its students’ visit to this most important country. I commend SUNO for this initiative and the many other initiatives that helped to shape education for many students, including the introduction of new degree programs, expanded engagement with our high schools in the area of cross enrollment, hosting youth organizations and events such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs (STEM NOLA), serving as the host location for the rooted charter school, creating law enforcement supportive scholarship programs and more. It is good policy that the Cantrell administration and the City Council work with SUNO and students to enhance economic development and the cross cultural benefits inherent in our relationship with The Republic of Ghana.”
New Orleans and Cape Coast are connected by the traumatic interruption of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in 1619. Mayor Cantrell first visited Cape Coast in 2012 as a City Councilmember and envisioned creating a sister city connection with Cape Coast to further strengthen relations between the two cities and provide mutual benefits for our communities. In December 2019, in commemoration of the Year of Return, which marked 400 years since the first slave ships left Ghanaian coasts for the transatlantic slave trade, Mayor Cantrell traveled to Ghana to sign our current Sister City Agreement with Cape Coast.
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