Should There Be a National Memorial?

Author: Sweet*Tee aka Tabitha W.

Have you ever criticized someone in your life? As punishment for your criticism, what if your ear got cut off?  How would you feel if someone intentionally poured tar on your face? What is the lowest amount of money you think you can be sold for to another person? How would feel as you watch your loved ones being separated from each other to be shipped to different parts of the country against their will, never to be seen again? This is a glimpse into the life of a black slave in the United States. I believe that documented accounts and stories of African American slaves should be memorialized to honor and respect their lives of sacrifice, courage, and bravery.

           A memorial dedicated to African American slavery would be a great asset to the community. Many of today’s young adults have learned about much of our world events through other memorials such as the Oklahoma City Memorial, WWII Memorial, and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. These national monuments preserve a major event in our American history. They give us the ability to value our future always remembering the past. Would an African American slavery memorial be any different?          

Many would welcome the opportunity to share with the world, stories of victory and triumph of our ancestors throughout one of the saddest, humiliating events in our country’s past. While the subject of African slavery is an uncomfortable topic, it is our responsibility to pay tribute to and share a huge part of American history. A memorial such as this would be able to educate future generations and to allow people to understand the horror and cruelty African Americans endured.  

According to Professor Manning Marable, author of An Idea Whose Time Has Come, “slavery was a crime against our humanity”.  “Many white institutions, including Ivy League universities, insurance companies, and banks, profited from slavery” (Marable, 5). “The actual number of men, women and children who were snatched from their homes in Africa and transported in slave ships across the Atlantic, either to the Caribbean islands or to North and South America, will never be known. Writers vary in their estimates, but there is no doubt that their number runs into millions (Bell, 1993).”  Studying, learning, and understanding slavery can also help us consider and restructure this gap within our society called racism.

“Slavery history is very important for all citizens of the U.S. to be familiar with, and this memorial will be doing its part to help this information reach the masses” (US National Slavery Museum). Having the opportunity to create a memorial dedicated to African American slavery would not just benefit the world and our communities. It will benefit individual citizens. African American citizens will get the chance to show our gratitude and appreciate to our ancestors who paved the way for us today. From the local college student paying her own way through college all the way to the doors of the White House of the current President of the United States.

References

Bell, Derek (1993).Race, racism, and the law: slave trade statistics. http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/slave04.htm

Marable, Manning. An Idea Whose Time Has Come.

Slave Facts. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/matt_kane/slave%20facts.htm

Strayer University. (2006). Research and writing: Custom edition. Boston: Pearson.

US National Slavery Museum http://www.usnationalslaverymuseum.org/slavery-museum.html