Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Today I went......somewhere

What an experience I had today! I traveled with members of my church to Cincinnati to visit the Freedom Center-The Museum of the Underground Railroad. It was an outstanding display of the history of slavery and the brave men and women who helped free slaves. The museum uses well placed displays and modern technology to speak to people of all ages. The message is simple: Our history is important to us and often very painful. We want to share what we remember for future generations.

My favorite was the use of huge walls to display news videos of current freedom quests going on today all over the world. My other favorite was the movie screen that put us in the picture as a young female slave, with the help of black and white conductors, swam across the Ohio River while slave masters shot at them.

I teach this subject to my second graders and have read countless books on the subject of the Underground Railroad but have never felt the experience firsthand. There were quite a few daycare groups touring the museum. The technology will help them understand what this part of our country's history meant to African Americans. It is well worth the effort that went into the vision and completion of this fine museum.

No comments: