The Dream Academy students of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School gave the students in Ghana a presentation on the Spanish Armada, Middle Passage, and their own creative fictional story about being an explorer from the past. To begin with, the Dream Academy students spoke about how a dare devil from England, Sir Francis Drake, invaded Spanish ports and attacked Spanish ships. King Philip II, the ruler of Spain, wanted the Queen of England, Elizabeth, to discipline Drake for his actions. However, Queen Elizabeth rewarded Drake and knighted him. As a result, this did not sit well with Philip II, so he sent the Spanish Armada to destroy England. Even though the Spanish Armada appeared to be invincible, they lost to England.
After the Spanish Armada presentation, the Dream Academy read their papers on the Middle Passage. They spoke about the cruel ways Africans were treated as they were marched in chains to a European fort on the West African Coast. In addition, they informed the students in Ghana that the Africans who were taken as slaves to America had to endure brutal treatment on the ships as well as being separated from their families when they were sold to plantation owners. However, the Dream Academy mentioned that the horrors of this institution would end during the American Civil War.
Finally, the Dream Academy students read their fictional stories about being an explorer from the past. Some of the students pretended to be explorers who were pirates while others not only pretended to be an explorer such as Columbus or Champlain, but also a worker who took abuse from the explorer in charge such as Magellan who gets credit for circumnavigating the globe.
The Dream Academy:
Juna Weedon
Jeremy Reese
Alejandra Garcia Chavez
Hasley Clemente
Jimya Davis-Sloan
Vah’Kyla Esdaile
Enjonae Griffin
Guadalupe Hernandez-Nava
Abira Hodge
Amaya Hodge
Tiviana Kenney
Javon King
Kayla Lewis
Ariana Linares
Joseph Lopez-Barrios
Andrew Martinez
Tysion Murchison
Hailey Perez
Principal Supervisor of this event: Mr. Gerbino
