I experienced this many years in Chicago as an activist following 1968 riots following convention. My cousin was at lines in National Guard, said if I wasn’t home with newborn I’d be putting a flower in his at-arms rifle. Many other times I used his name to cross into Chicago PD barricaded neighborhoods because he was a Cook County Sheriff’s chauffeur/bodyguard. Lotsa hate, just my little light shining elsewhere as I push 78th birthday next week. And textbooks, questionable resources (this retired teacher/ First Head Start Family Literacy innovator for up to 1400 families ) are now sought to remove Ruby Bridges from textbooks??? More thoughts our politicos are like a Roman invasion “correcting” history. Urge your elected officials to oppose these idiotic changes lest we relive racial & ethnic tensions of the past. Incomprehensible to me that elected celebrities and suddenly interest parents engage in such awfully energetic causes to deny access to truth.
There aren't words that can express the grief, just tears that cry out, "WHY?" Your article brought back memories of Detroit 1967 and many other places where hate was in full display.
6,000 people were lynched; I was shocked and brought to tears to hear this in a sermon by Rev. Rebekah LeMon. Her sermon was part of educating us to hear Brian Stevenson speak. His speech was incredible. "Just Mercy"
A belated comment. In my ancestry research including DNA I discovered I have Afro-american cousins. Further research revealed two black cousins share the same grandfather who was a child of a couple, the mother white from my James line, and the father was black who was lynched Jan. 7, 1883 in Henderson, TX. I've been in a loving sharing correspondence with both cousins. who live in Fort Worth. Biden very recently did a viewing of the movie Till. In 1915 Feb. 18 President Woodard Wilson viewed the first movie every shown at the White House entitled The Birth of a Nation, it's original tile was The Klansman...essentially sadistic projections of white wash woke. White woke says that black slaves lived "on" plantations, a romantic ring of privildged charity and hearing gratitude jingles in the fields of zippy-do-da. Black woke says that slaves lived "in" forced labour camps.
This is what they are afraid of. 'They' are the ones who continue to use dog whistles like Critical Race Theory (CRT) instead of saying American history. Afraid of hearing the awful, terrible truth that we are still fighting the same battles in 2023 that were raging in 1884. As if not speaking the words mean the murders - a thousands of other human indignities - never happened.
Very moved by this - it’s America’s holocaust- voting rights for black people paid for in blood and struggle continues as GOP threatens to erode and take voting rights away.
Very moving - what a great cost it was for non-whites to vote and still experience concerted efforts to limit or deny them participation in US democracy even now
I will be haunted by these images for the rest of my life. Sadness and anger intermixed. The real history cannot be “ghosted “. I drove through northwest Virginia last fall. The beautiful green fields bordered by carefully laid fieldstone. All i could think of was the slaves who created this masterpiece. Wish I could put up a sign in their memory.
I, too, have been deeply moved by the experience of the museum. Not only the hanging panels, which included the name of my Texas county where my great grandparents owned 33 enslaved people, but in the museum building with other horrific displays. It brought me to my knees. I encourage everyone to make the trip.
thank you for this article. for those who don't know, thank you, for those who do know but may have forgotten, thank you, for those who, go through this world unnamed, unnoticed, thank you. For all whose voices were silenced, thank you.
This is beyond heart breaking. We must know this history. Our children must learn the truth we must never ever allow such evil in our nation. I am white 81 years. I learned much of this history being taught by New England teachers . But not these unspeakable things which we must talk about to every generation. The Truth. Thank you for this.
I am a white man. Eighteen months ago, a cousin sent me a copy of an 1848 document signed by my great-great grandfather. It was a receipt for 5 enslaved individuals received by him. The names were "John, Edmund, Sallie, Jemima, and child Eliza." I think about Eliza every day, in the same manner as you think about Emma and Lillie. Children. Somehow, to me, adults in slavery is evil, but children in slavery ? That is an abominable sin. One's childhood should be as innocent as possible, and not be spent in squalor and forced labor. Shame on us !
I visited this hallowed site last spring with a life long friend. We traveled from Minnesota to Memphis, Clarksdale, Muscle Shoals, Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma. We saw, tasted, listened to and experienced amazing things that pushed us to be better, be more understanding. The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration was the best museum I have ever been to in my life. (I'm 62, traveled the world and I have been in A LOT of museums.) And then following that with the National Memorial for Peace and Justice is an experience that all who are able to, should take. Your soul will change. For the better.
I experienced this many years in Chicago as an activist following 1968 riots following convention. My cousin was at lines in National Guard, said if I wasn’t home with newborn I’d be putting a flower in his at-arms rifle. Many other times I used his name to cross into Chicago PD barricaded neighborhoods because he was a Cook County Sheriff’s chauffeur/bodyguard. Lotsa hate, just my little light shining elsewhere as I push 78th birthday next week. And textbooks, questionable resources (this retired teacher/ First Head Start Family Literacy innovator for up to 1400 families ) are now sought to remove Ruby Bridges from textbooks??? More thoughts our politicos are like a Roman invasion “correcting” history. Urge your elected officials to oppose these idiotic changes lest we relive racial & ethnic tensions of the past. Incomprehensible to me that elected celebrities and suddenly interest parents engage in such awfully energetic causes to deny access to truth.
There aren't words that can express the grief, just tears that cry out, "WHY?" Your article brought back memories of Detroit 1967 and many other places where hate was in full display.
6,000 people were lynched; I was shocked and brought to tears to hear this in a sermon by Rev. Rebekah LeMon. Her sermon was part of educating us to hear Brian Stevenson speak. His speech was incredible. "Just Mercy"
A belated comment. In my ancestry research including DNA I discovered I have Afro-american cousins. Further research revealed two black cousins share the same grandfather who was a child of a couple, the mother white from my James line, and the father was black who was lynched Jan. 7, 1883 in Henderson, TX. I've been in a loving sharing correspondence with both cousins. who live in Fort Worth. Biden very recently did a viewing of the movie Till. In 1915 Feb. 18 President Woodard Wilson viewed the first movie every shown at the White House entitled The Birth of a Nation, it's original tile was The Klansman...essentially sadistic projections of white wash woke. White woke says that black slaves lived "on" plantations, a romantic ring of privildged charity and hearing gratitude jingles in the fields of zippy-do-da. Black woke says that slaves lived "in" forced labour camps.
This is what they are afraid of. 'They' are the ones who continue to use dog whistles like Critical Race Theory (CRT) instead of saying American history. Afraid of hearing the awful, terrible truth that we are still fighting the same battles in 2023 that were raging in 1884. As if not speaking the words mean the murders - a thousands of other human indignities - never happened.
Very moved by this - it’s America’s holocaust- voting rights for black people paid for in blood and struggle continues as GOP threatens to erode and take voting rights away.
Very moving - what a great cost it was for non-whites to vote and still experience concerted efforts to limit or deny them participation in US democracy even now
I will be haunted by these images for the rest of my life. Sadness and anger intermixed. The real history cannot be “ghosted “. I drove through northwest Virginia last fall. The beautiful green fields bordered by carefully laid fieldstone. All i could think of was the slaves who created this masterpiece. Wish I could put up a sign in their memory.
Thank you for sharing this moving moment in your life. I think I must make a trip to see this memorial. This is history that needs to be taught.
I, too, have been deeply moved by the experience of the museum. Not only the hanging panels, which included the name of my Texas county where my great grandparents owned 33 enslaved people, but in the museum building with other horrific displays. It brought me to my knees. I encourage everyone to make the trip.
thank you for this article. for those who don't know, thank you, for those who do know but may have forgotten, thank you, for those who, go through this world unnamed, unnoticed, thank you. For all whose voices were silenced, thank you.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. Also thanks to all who commented - all inspirational 🙏❤️
This is beyond heart breaking. We must know this history. Our children must learn the truth we must never ever allow such evil in our nation. I am white 81 years. I learned much of this history being taught by New England teachers . But not these unspeakable things which we must talk about to every generation. The Truth. Thank you for this.
Moving, beautiful and horrifying account. Thank you.
I am a white man. Eighteen months ago, a cousin sent me a copy of an 1848 document signed by my great-great grandfather. It was a receipt for 5 enslaved individuals received by him. The names were "John, Edmund, Sallie, Jemima, and child Eliza." I think about Eliza every day, in the same manner as you think about Emma and Lillie. Children. Somehow, to me, adults in slavery is evil, but children in slavery ? That is an abominable sin. One's childhood should be as innocent as possible, and not be spent in squalor and forced labor. Shame on us !
I visited this hallowed site last spring with a life long friend. We traveled from Minnesota to Memphis, Clarksdale, Muscle Shoals, Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma. We saw, tasted, listened to and experienced amazing things that pushed us to be better, be more understanding. The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration was the best museum I have ever been to in my life. (I'm 62, traveled the world and I have been in A LOT of museums.) And then following that with the National Memorial for Peace and Justice is an experience that all who are able to, should take. Your soul will change. For the better.