Slavery and Civil War Museum

Normally I wouldn't have this word up on my blog. But we just visited
the slavery and civil war museum and it was one of the exhibits. It's
about 3pm and we're on to Montgomery. I'll have to give a full story
about this museum later. For right now I'll just leave it at--it was
one of the most powerful things that has ever happened to me.

Later. . .

So when we pulled up to the museum a lady got on our bus and told us that we had been captured.  She began talking to us as if we were slaves.  She referred to us as "girl" "boy" "Sambo" and. . . "Nigger"  We weren't allowed to make eye contact with her or her partner and we were told that we had to bend our knees when we walked.  For the next 45 minute they took us through a slavery simulation, from holding cell, to boat, to auction line. . .all as a part of the simulation.  I don't want to go into too much detail in case those of you who are reading this ever go to Selma for this experience.  Just know that I cried a lot as I thought about what my ancestors endured.  I always talk to my students about the benefits of slavery.  We live in a wealthy nation, I am an American, I am a Christian. . .I think I always tell them that because I don't want the kids in my class (mainly white kids) to experience White guilt. . .but you know what. . .after today's experience, I don't think that any of those benefits were worth what my people went through.  Maybe I will feel differently about it tomorrow.  But right now, I understand in a whole different kind of way how humiliating and psychologically tragic the experience of slavery was.  In our debriefing session tonight many people brought up other instances of psychological warfare and cultural genocide. . .the holucaust, Darfur, Rwanda. . .but all I could think about was my ancestors and the cruelty that they went through for almost 400 years.

After we left the Slavery museum we drove to Montgomery where we had a tour of the Equal Justice Initiative.  This is a group of lawyers who take cases (mostly in Alabama) of people that are on Death Row or kids who have been given life sentences and have no legal representation mainly due to poverty.  We were shown pictures of people who were wrongfully accused and people who were given life sentences for non-homicide offenses.  What got me were the 73 cases of 13-14 year olds who have been sentenced to "life in prison" but what they purposefully call "death in prison" because of state mandates based on the crimes that they have committed.  5 of those kids are in North Carolina.  This group provided me with some hope (like Joanne did) that there are people out there doing something.  It also made me a bit overwhelmed about what do I do?  But what it made me reflect on most was how the evils of slavery and oppression still rear its ugly head.  even today.

We were also reminded in Selma (like I wrote in the blog on yesterday) that Selma doesn't look like a city that has progressed in the 50 years since the movement.  It looks like it might have looked back then.  Poor neighborhoods.  Segregated communities.  Housing projects.  I am called to do something.  It might not be for Selma, but I know now that I am called.  I just have to figure out to what.

Forgive misspellings in this post.  I am emotionally drained right now as you can imagine and don't feel like proofreading.  I will do so tomorrow.