President Vivek Goel marks the start of Black History Month
It is difficult to put into words what it is like to walk the path where enslaved people once tread as they were about to be shipped to the Americas, at the site of what was described as the “gate of no return.”
Late last year, along with a small delegation from the University of Waterloo, we toured Cape Coast Castle on the Gold Coast of Ghana as part of a trip to Africa intended to build pan-African collaborations. The castle is one of dozens along the West African coast established by European traders as part of the Atlantic slave trade. Not only did we learn about the past, but it was a powerful reminder of the on-going impact of this history on our world.