MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – Paul Billings is on a mission to make a difference in the lives of young people through a transformative experience — because he believes parents can’t rely solely on schools to teach children about Black history and culture.
As a Black man and the father of two daughters, Billings said he felt called decades ago to help students learn more about Africa as part of Black history — American history — and understand that heritage predates slavery.
Billings, the founder of Muskegon’s WUVS-FM (103.7 FM) — known locally as “The Beat” — presented the Free trip program for children in Africa in 2017. For the past six years, a select group of Muskegon Heights students have been given an all-expenses-paid trip to Ghana for a cultural immersion experience as a reward for their academic achievements.
This year, 14 teenagers from Muskegon and Ypsilanti schools will travel to Ghana from June 28th to July 4th. Over the years, Billings said the program has introduced more than 35 students to Africa. They have come from Muskegon as well as Florida, where he is president and general manager of Orlando radio station WHPB FM (98.5).
In the Homeland
“I wish we could get them all,” Billings said. “If I was rich, we’d just book a charter plane. All children deserve to go — all deserve to go to the Homeland. It’s nice to see kids who look like they get a chance to experience that and hopefully they’ll come back and do the same when they become successful.”
He said the trip costs about $3,500 per child and is paid for through donations, including GoFundMe for Muskegon students.
Billings said all students can benefit from learning about Black history, but it’s not covered enough in schools and may not be presented the way parents want.
“They may not teach it with the passion our kids deserve to hear,” he said. “You see these children as your own and pour your heart into them as your own. You want them to know that they don’t have to walk into a room and feel inferior. And very often, that could kill your dreams.”
Billings said he hopes the students come away from the unique experience knowing they come from greatness and that it instills a sense of pride and confidence in them.
Muskegon and Washtenaw County students will immerse themselves in the rich culture and history of West Africa firsthand by attending traditional ceremonies, visiting historic sites such as “slave castles,” such as Cape Coast Castle, one of the largest of former slave castles along the coast of West Africa and important landmarks such as the WEB DuBois Center for Pan African Culture in Accra, a memorial to the writer and activist.
June was the motivation
Billings said his desire to help students learn more about Black history and culture began a decade ago when he bussed Muskegon Heights students for free to Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit and National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC
At the time, he said his oldest daughter didn’t know the significance of Juneteenth, which was also a factor in starting the Kids Free Trip to Africa program. June, the newest federal holiday, recognizes June 19 as a day of remembrance for the nation. In 1865, 21/2 years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves in Galveston, Texas learned from Union troops that they were free.
“I felt like I failed too because I knew history,” Billings said, speaking of his now-adult daughter who he didn’t know. “I read many books. I had many history books at home. I just assumed that at school they taught something. As a parent, I know that it is ultimately my responsibility to make sure my child gets an education.”
Looking for More
Ma’Kayla White, who graduated this spring from Muskegon Heights Public School Academy and is one of four students from the charter school going to Ghana, agrees with Billings about the limited information students learn about the history of Black people in the classroom.
She said she only remembers her teachers touching on abolitionist Harriet Tubman and historical figures from the Civil Rights Movement, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
White and her brother, Ma’Quel White, Ca’Mya Jackson and Naeonna Agnew are honor students and are going to Ghana for their essays in a Black History Month Essay Contest based on the book, Systems That Shape(d) Black America : 40 Mini Lessons Outlining Defining Moments from Slavery to Modern Day” by Tracee Bruce.
Bruce, a graduate of Muskegon Heights Public Schools Academy, will discuss her book at the Holland Museum on June 19 as part of celebration of the tenth of June of the city.
“They taught us Black history, but they never told us what really happened,” White told the MLive/Muskegon Chronicle during a recent interview with her and Billings on his radio station. “It was never what we went through, so when I read the book, it opened my eyes.”
Muskegon Heights Public School Academy Superintendent Reedell Holmes said the trip to Africa will become part of these students’ life stories, an experience they will never forget. He said many will board a plane and travel out of the country for the first time.
Unforgettable
“I am deeply honored and happy that the students have the opportunity to take a long trip out of the country to an African nation,” said Holmes, who is Black. “That’s where our roots started and it just gives kids a chance to see that the world is bigger than Muskegon and Michigan, period. Paul (Billings) will leave a mark and a legacy here for future young people to grow and look back on.”
This is the first time Michigan students from outside of Muskegon will make the trip. A former Ypsilanti resident, Billings is excited to expose students from the Ypsilanti community to West Africa.
Ypsilanti Community Schools Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross said 10 students are expected to make the trip from Ypsilanti Community Middle School, Ypsilanti Community High School and the Ypsilanti ACCE Program based on their academic achievements.
spreading out
Zachery-Ross was the superintendent of Muskegon Heights Public School Academy when Billings took students on his inaugural free trip to Africa in 2017. Billings said the trip was supposed to start with one or two middle school kids, but Zachery -Ross said: You can do better than that,” and they ended up getting about six students.
The Ypsilanti superintendent said Billings asked her to return to the program and help start spreading the initiative to students across Michigan.
“We’ll be able to start it as a tradition here on this side of the state,” Zachery-Ross said, noting that all expenses are paid for Ypsilanti students through Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) funds from the U.S. Department of Education. A. Training and funding from the Toyota Driving Possibilities Partnership.
“I am honored and excited by what is about to happen as we transform the lives of these individuals. We’re not only giving them that opportunity to travel, but we’re teaching them how to navigate as global citizens.”
Ka’Whyii Morris, a graphic artist, graduated from Muskegon Heights Public School Academy and took her first trip to Ghana in 2017. She said it’s something she’ll never forget and made her feel alive and continues to inspire her today.
“It sparked my calling to help anyone and serve those in need or less fortunate,” said Morris, a graduate of Mount Mary University in Wisconsin. “What Paul is doing is very influential and I pray that he will continue to do this for the next 20 years. All it takes is one person to change someone else’s life.”
Zachery-Ross will be one of four chaperones supporting Billings as the students travel to West Africa.
Why Ghana?
Billings had a relationship with Ghanaian villages that stemmed from charity work, including the delivery of clothing, school supplies and educational materials. He said one of the villages the students will visit is Abeadze Kyeako, where Billings said he was honored to be named head of development because he helped fund a children’s library before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Travel is a learning experience, opening students’ minds to new experiences and perspectives and increasing their cultural understanding. Billings said students will see the gap between rich and poor in the country.
“I want the kids to experience the best of Africa,” said Billings, who said students need to see not only how the poor in the country live, but also the upper class. “It will be near the entertainment center or in upscale neighborhoods. It shatters every image when you think of Africa. It’s like, “Wow, I don’t even see this at home.”
While plenty of time will be spent having fun interacting with residents, sampling local cuisine, and visiting the mall and beaches, Billings wants students to remember the importance of standing in places like the slave trading posts where the slaves in chains and the sacrifices and pain and suffering endured over the years.
“Everywhere I go, I thank my ancestors because I know they took the beating so I didn’t have to, and that’s the part that’s not taught in school,” he said. “I think hundreds of kids later, we have a lot of success stories out there. We can change our community if one person can reach one child.”
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