I am making a brief home pit-stop before departing for the last few days of my vacation. Thanks to those who commented on blog entries during my absence and those of you who continued to check in.
I was away on a brothers road trip with my one sibling, Eric. Last year we drove to the south shore of Nova Scotia and while there I read The Book of Negroes. We realized that we were a few kilometres from Birchtown, essentially the final Canadian destination for Aminata, the central character. We visited the exhibit on black history located there.
This year we drove to the deep American south, our final stop being Savannah Georgia. Savannnah is a city steeped in history and uniquely southern. On the way we stopped in Charleston, South Carolina, and discovered that there was a slavery museum in the city. The Slave Mart Museum is situated in one of the few enclosed slave markets which existed during the years of the trade in human beings. The exhibits were excellent but it was sobering to walk through a building where people were bought and sold.
One exhibit reflected on the faith traditions of slaves, a combination of African animist traditions, Islam, and Christianity. It was noted that the bible was the source of inspirational stories of freedom and equality, including the exodus from slavery in Egypt by the Jewish people. Strangely, Aminata began her sojourn in the Americas in Charleston, on the slave floor. Eric also read The Book of Negroes and we both appreciated these opportunities to expand our knowledge of this era,
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My husband had a contract in Jackson Mississippi,we went with him. They still had the whipping poles in the middle of town. This is where they tied the slaves and beat them. According to the signs there, this happened on Tuesdays and Fridays. I found it touching that flowers are left at the bottom of the poles.
It amazes me how close this history of slavery still feels. It seems like a very long time ago, but it really wasn't. Of course, discrimination and racism lasted for a long time after slavery was abolished.
The Book of Negroes was my favourite read of the past year, with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society taking a close second. I wrote in a journal that I would someday love to retrace Aminata's journey. I would love to say that our world has matured from this horrible state, but discrimination and racism continue to show themselves in so many of our current news stories. Will we ever learn?
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