We were the only ones there and had the added pleasure of having our very own tour guide, the Director herself, Mrs. Francis Williams. If you ever want to know ANYTHING about history she's the go-to person.
When we first walked in, I started looking at the first wall I came to but Mrs. Williams said, "My dear, if you'll permit me, I shall take you to the beginning. Unfortunately so many Americans of all races believe that Black History begins with slavery and ends with Martin Luther King, Jr -- but if we start with that than we miss the beginning.... and the beginning, my dear, of ALL history begins with Africa." At that point she took us around a corridor and started teaching us .... i mean really schoolin' us .... we learned interesting history -
like the Black Pharoahs in Nubia (present day Sudan) -- wealthiest people on earth -- who constructed the Pyramids with such precision that even to this day, scientists and architects can't duplicate their methods.
From there she spoke of the migration from Africa to Asia where Black Mongols were known for their mighty warrior prowess and sometimes referred to as the "children of hell" -- they were fierce and well respected for their military pursuits.
And from there, Mrs. Francis went on to explain The Moors who were Africans that migrated to Spain. They are known for their Moorish Architect..... noted for their domes and arched doorways ...
Fascinating, huh?
She took us through the slavery period. I didn't take pictures... out of respect. There was a broom on a table amoung other items. She asked if I knew what it was. I told her I thought it was a "wedding broom". She went on to explain that slaves weren't allowed to get married.... because they were thought of as property and well, "property" has no "rights". So, if two slaves fell in love they would secretly go down by the river or deep into the woods with close friends and family and have their own ceremony. And at the end of the ceremony the couple would jump over a broom to symbolize they were married.
And here he is, the man of the hour... Mr. George Washington Carver. What an amazing man! Did you know that Henry Ford and Dupont both offered him millions to work for them but he turned them down because he considered himself a scientist and not a business man. He also said that "the Creator freely gave him his gifts and talents and he would not charge money for them but instead freely give" ... he did sooooo much more than inventing over 300 uses for the peanut -- which that alone is a feat in itself -- but he created synthetics, new methods for crop irrigation, crop rotation -- he was a botanist, educator, and inventor ! Whew !!
I thought this was very interesting -- here is Paul Williams who is the architect credited for giving Hollywood its "look" as well as Rodeo Drive. He also designed the Los Angeles International Airport.
There was a section devoted entirely to every American war we've ever fought and how black Americans have fought in every one of them. I was amazed to hear that during WWI it was "against the law" for Black Americans and White Americans to go to battle together. So, the US government shipped the Black American soldiers to France to do "ground work" such as organizing and well, probably cleaning and maintaining equipment and supplies. But they grew restless and wanted to fight for their country so the French government asked the American government if the Black American soldiers could fight under the French flag...... and so they did. America never recognized them but France had a huge ceremony that celebrated them...... geeze, boggles the mind doesn't it?
No comments:
Post a Comment