I drove up to Baltimore last weekend with the family and on the way up stopped in DC for a few hours to take the kids to some of the historical sites. It was the most beautiful of days: warm but not too hot, dry, and wonderful sun!! We saw the traditional sites: walked by all the monuments and memorials to past presidents and wars etc. We even went to a Smithsonian museum and generally took in as much as we could in a fairly short time. As one of the most historic places in our nation, the District seems to be replete with icons perpetually calling current generations' attention to the achievements and sacrifices of past ones.

I've thought about this before, of course, but the absence of any kind of monument to African American slavery is just absolutely glaring. It's like walking into a McDonald's and them not having any hamburgers, or taking a long flight to Hawaii and finding that there were no beaches. If one has any sense of history at all, that there is little remembrance of African Americans, and none to slavery, shouts out at you in the most deafening of ways. It's like going to an amusement park and there being no roller coaster. You keep walking around wondering "where is it"???

That said, it certainly doesn't take a Mensa certification to figure out why this is the case. As AudioGuy aptly put it: "the lion's story is different than the gazelle's". That's for sure! Slavery represents one of the most ignominious aspects of anyone's history anywhere. I can certainly see why there would be an interest in pushing that period as absolutely far under the rug as possible.

But, as African America gains an increasing voice in this country, I have to ask, isn't it time for us to push to be recognized in the way that others are for their sacrifices. Again, it doesn't take Einstein to figure that the sacrifices of African Americans in this country through slavery and the "investment" of free labor in building this country and its economy at its founding is one of the greatest contributions of any group ever to any country. Some may still suggest that we just "get over it" and move on. Perhaps, but if our nation deems it appropriate to honor others' sacrifices, why not ours?

I had the occasion to see Congressman James E. Clyburn of South Carolina at an event on Saturday and I asked him about this. As a historian himself he recognized the gaping hole, but talked about the African American history museum that the Smithsonian is building on the Mall in DC. He also mentioned the new Capitol Visitor's Center being named Emancipation Hall. Of course there is also the King memorial coming. Those are all wonderful. Certainly the museum on the Mall will be a great contribution allowing the Smithsonian to more completely capture a fuller breadth of American history. It is a nod toward black folks, which I'll gladly take. I know Clyburn is working on a number of things that are directly in the interests of black folks. He wrote the legislation, for example, that created the funding for the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission. That body is tasked with working to preserve the Gullah-Geechee culture. Those are wonderful things; all deserving of every ounce of support they get! Realistically it does say something about our growing influence in Washington. Yet and still, where's the memorial to African American slavery?

I sense that America is currently at the start of something of a transition as it relates to black people and slavery. It has always endeavored to pretend as if slavery just never happened. It is in its clear benefit to try to erase African America's memory of slavery in the same way that our recall of Africa was excised from our brains. Nevertheless, of late, there have been these little apologies trickling in here and there. Cities, universities, companies, even European countries apologizing for their role in slavery. Now, I'm not entirely sure where all of this is going. Are these gestures meant to stanch what some see as an impending flow of civil unrest about slavery? Are these meant to mollify the increasing talk about reparations that slowly but surely grows each year? Either way, a national recognition of African America's contribution to their country is wholly appropriate and long over due. While just a gesture, it would join in the trickle of other gestures which, one day, could become a meaningful impetus for social change that could make a real and tangible difference in the lives of our community.

There are a lot of things that black folks should be fighting for these days. Most have to do with the day-to-day challenges of putting food on the table and covering the basics like health care, education, employment opportunities etc. An African American Slavery Memorial on the Mall in Washington would be one brick in the larger foundation of securing a better place for future generations of our people. Clearly there are far too few positive images of African Americans in the media; a memorial on that particular national stage would give the message to our children both that they matter and that their ancestors contributed greatly to this nation. It would also deliver that same message to whites - many of whom think we were slaves, and then we were gangstas. That's it. In my eyes, the confluence of those efforts has both short and long term benefits.

If for no other reason, a slavery memorial would allow future generations of African American children to look at the contributions of their ancestors in a comparable fashion as others represented there on the Mall. In a world where self-esteem is indeed in short supply, and where it provides the emotional platform from which we embark on life's journey, I say its a battle worth fighting for.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MBM,

[/I] Your piece says what should be said everyday.

Capitol Visitor's Center being named Emancipation Hall.

[I]I feel insulted by the name.

It may be unintended.

We know 'emancipation' was a lie.

Why then name a memorial for the lie?

I find it hard to believe the United States will build a memorial to its own inhumanity.

There may, indeed, be an African American History Memorial.

The chattel slavery in that history should be fully recognized.

PEACE

Jim Chester

That was a good commentary! And actually, I might be able to help!

I remember was is probably 5 years ago, now, reading a story that the (White) mayor of South Carolina wanted to build a slavery museum at one of the oceanfront ports that was used to unload slaves once they reached the US. He wanted a "point of entry' type thing that would make it like it was for the slaves, and this would lead into a fully-build museum with artifacts to go inside it.

Needless to say, there was opposition to using city funds to accomplish this. Still, he said he believed it was necessary and was determined to make it happen. If I'm not mistaken, he lost the next election and is no longer the mayor. I can't find one thing about it on the Internet now.

However, while searching, I ran across this link United States National Slavery Museum and found out that there is, indeed, a national slavery museum in the works! It is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia and is due to open in 2008!!

It's odd that I have heard nothing about this ... and, in fact, found it completely by mistake while looking for something else. Why is that, that something so important would not be talked about in Black news and media? I think I read that this museum has been 15 years in the making.

You will have to look through the website and see if this is the kind of thing you were talking about. Personally, I thought the S.C. mayor's idea was fantastic and I was excited at the prospect of going. But, this, too, looks to be something spectacular! And since you're about the closet thing to it ... when can we expect you to go and come back with a report??

However

What do you all think about the idea of creating a memorial that would have two halves: one half reaching out toward Africa from a port of entry in the US and one reaching back toward us from a port of exit in Africa?

Sounds like a winner to me!

I say 'bout time. We, African-Americans as well as Africans, both are in desperate NEED of something like this. A reaching out and connect kinda thang. Cool!

quote:

Originally posted by MBM:

What do you all think about the idea of creating a memorial that would have two halves: one half reaching out toward Africa from a port of entry in the US and one reaching back toward us from a port of exit in Africa?

Here's an even more complete idea: what do you think about creating identical monuments that would be erected at the major ports where slaves left Africa and where they landed in the Americas and in Europe - representing the major slave trading ports? I am envisioning a very simple structure - either an obelisk or a simple black monolith like in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" - something proud and strong commemorating the movement of our people throughout the world via the slave trade.

How cool would it be if those monuments were somehow able to "connect" with the other monuments? I don't know what that would mean - it couldn't be lasers no doubt because of the curvature of the earth, but with video cameras showing the people at all of the monuments - or something. The idea would just be to, in some way, connect those ports that were responsible for dispersing us so long ago.

What do you think?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MBM,

Or I'm thinking there could be some kind of a portal or doorway that you walk through to to be at the water's edge to look out across the water and know that folks were on the other side looking back.

All of those ideas are great...inspirational even.

How petitioning for the renaming or naming of certain stars.... like streets... it may be a little less classy... but interesting...

North Star to Uhuru star or Freedom star... something like that ( I know Uhuru is Swahili, but this is off the top of my head)

I would also love to see a compilation of those taped "slave" narratives transcribed and placed in a book along with an encyclopedic timeline of the U.S. Slave trade... in particular... completely interspersed with autobiographies of insurrections or such...


mmmk just brainstorming... be back...

Sounds like a winner to me!---EbonyRose

Here's an even more complete idea: what do you think about creating identical monuments that would be erected at the major ports where slaves left Africa and where they landed in the Americas and in Europe - representing the major slave trading ports? I am envisioning a very simple structure - either an obelisk or a simple black monolith like in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" - something proud and strong commemorating the movement of our people throughout the world via the slave trade.

How cool would it be if those monuments were somehow able to "connect" with the other monuments? I don't know what that would mean - it couldn't be lasers no doubt because of the curvature of the earth, but with video cameras showing the people at all of the monuments - or something. The idea would just be to, in some way, connect those ports that were responsible for dispersing us so long ago.---MBM

I really, really, like this.

I like the 'something simple'.

I like the 'interconnect'.

Today's technology can make this possible.

I don't know the 'nuts and bolts' of it, but my perception is that it is doable.

Money can make it happen.

PEACE

Jim Chester

This is a very good topic and an excellent idea. But just to add onto the great ideas. There should be a monument in Africa, in the West Indies, in Brazil and in the U.S. Of course it would have messages written in various african languages English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Patois. Just my idea...