Blair Moore - Undergraduate Research Project Abroad in France & Ghana (+6 Points)

 This summer, I participated in Spelman College’s first two-country IES Abroad program, studying in Nantes, France and Accra, Ghana. Through field research, archival study, and coursework on the transatlantic slave trade, I focused my research on how memory and education shape our understanding of the trade. My final project, “A Liberatory Curriculum: Deconstructing Eurocentric Memory and Pedagogy in Education,” examined how people and institutions teach about slavery and whose voices and memories are centered.

In Nantes, what struck me most was how the city's present architecture is a direct result of the slave trade—the grand buildings were constructed by shipowners whose wealth came from human suffering, and streets are still named after them. That physical reminder made the history of Black people feel silenced and uncared for. In Ghana, the experience shifted from silence to voice and critical thought. Visiting memorial sites, taking classes a the University of Ghana, and even hearing how communities still celebrate their ancestors' resistance through festivals re-centered the story and the voices of Black people. Together, these experiences revealed the dynamics between who and what is remembered in specific spaces.

Academically, this journey deepened how I view my studies in English, Entrepreneurship, and Dance Choreography. As an English major, I saw the power of narrative to write dominant histories. In the classes abroad, I used the tools I have learned from Spelman to question and think critically about surface-level or biased information. 

Presenting my research to peers, writing three essays, and later being quoted in a published newsletter taught me that scholarship and storytelling are forms of leadership. This program transformed how I see education—it is a living practice that must include vernacular stories and local knowledge. Moving forward, I want to continue researching and uplifting vernacular perspectives and reimagine how we learn, remember, and teach across cultures.

by Blair Moore