'Rites of Passage' Students to Celebrate Culture Through Food

On Saturday, April 9, the air at will be filled with the cultural
sounds, sights and smells of the . From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., visitors will be able to enjoy the homemade food of various cultures, plus vendors, entertainment, raffles and more.

It’s a fundraising celebration that comes from the hard work of the Rites of Passage program, now in its sixth year. Supported by the , Rites of Passage was designed to help primarily, but not exclusively African-American students in learning about and integrating the significance of their African and American heritages.

Held from December to April each school year, ROP is a fun, but rigorous 14-week
Saturday class for middle school students, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The high school/college prep-level coursework includes a literature review of African and African-American history, guest speakers and instructors, mandatory readings, journal writing, Powerpoint presentations and a CMT/Cap style final exam.

At the end of the academic portion of the program, participants enjoy an educational trip to Africa, visiting countries such as Senegal, the Gambia, Ghana and Egypt. In choosing participants for the program, “we look at commitment to Saturday classes, and to academics overall,” communications coordinator Sharon Wade, an ROP staff member who accompanies the students every year on their trip to Africa, told Patch.

“The Rites of Passage Program is a truly unique opportunity, allowing students to
explore critical periods in history while discovering themselves and their rightful places as contributing world citizens,” Charmaine Tourse, principal at and Rites of Passage instructor, said.

Tourse cites self-assurance, independence and the ability to hone critical thinking, speaking and listening skills among the benefits of the program. “It’s a life-changing adventure; one upon which our students can rely upon in support of the desire to come fully into their own greatness,” she said.

The Rites of Passage program’s seed was planted back in 1994 by a revelation that
founder and director Rodney Bass had during his first trip to West Africa. As Bass
visited Goree Island, the infamous compound where African slaves were held before their hellish Middle Passage voyage to the Americas, Bass realized that as a descendant of these survivors, time and misinformation left him and so many others knowing very little about the history of his people across the African Diaspora.

“My eyes filled with tears at the reality that I was living in the 20th century and men were still in chains,” Bass recalls.

After several years of getting the program up and running, the Rites of Passage Program took its maiden voyage to West Africa in 2005, with 13 students, four parents and several staff. One of the trip’s highlights was for them to walk through Goree Island’s “Door of No Return” where their ancestors caught the last glimpses of their homeland.

“We can’t know the way to go if we have no understanding of where we come from and just as important how we have made it thus far,” Bass, who will be honored for his accomplishments at Saturday’s Cultural Food Festival, said.

In addition, the festival will mark a significant milestone: 100 students having completed the program since its inception. “We have a long way to go but we’ve begun the journey,” Bass said.