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It’s Good to Be Able to Walk through Both Doors
It’s no secret that there is shame in History. When taken into consideration the events that have transpired through the times that man has traveled, it is not an awareness that only a selective few have acquired. It is History, and though the stories it tells are reflections of our nature, which thankfully does not always discredit our ability to do good things, there are many incidents of horror and extreme carnality that a countless number of individuals wish had not taken place. Because these epochal-happenings have been permanently scribed into History, the only thing that can be done is to learn from them.
History speaks of empires and kingdoms exploiting, extorting, and kidnapping people from indigenous lands to be taken away from their families past ‘the point of no return’, where they never were to again see the people whom they loved as they were forcefully implemented into slavery. Upon generation after generation of oppression, History tells the story of remarkable persons enduring and standing against evil and harsh brutality; it discloses the chronicles of incredible human beings who eventually won the world into understanding that they too are people entitled to Freedom of Life and Liberty, thus enabling them to contribute to History in chapters full of occurrences that many appraise and cherish.
Such is the impression one can gather upon visiting the African American Museum of Iowa, located in Cedar Rapids, IA, at 55 12th Avenue SE. Freshly remodeled after experiencing the flood of 2008, the museum provides for a peaceful afternoon in learning the history of African Americans in a serious, but chromatic and fun way. With many illustrations to enhance understanding and with many displays to invigorate the imagination, the variety of topics that are touched upon in this museum will have the visitor leaving with greater respect for all people and for all humanity.
Covering the many aspects of the times experienced, such as the slave trade and imprisonment to freedom and liberty; from being ‘vocally’ shunned to having the right to vote; from being the last to hire and the first to expire to anti-discriminating laws and Affirmative Action; from mining and grueling labor to PhD statuses and inventions; from being chained for months on end to the bottom of a feces-infected boat to being captain of a ship in the Navy; from being expelled from major sporting-competitions to excelling above all measures of ability; from segregation and deprivation of education to integration and excellency in academics; from exclusion by labels “whites only” and “colored only” to inclusion by the sentiment ‘for all people’; from experiencing barbarous hell on earth to living in euphorical utopia, many lessons in strength of character and passion for life can be attained by those who can look past the paradigm that teaches that some people are inferior. With the assertiveness to appreciate and value human-life, these particular chapters from the Book of History are of significance and are applicable to everyone. With the understanding that it’s good to never let the world tell you who or what you are, one can walk through both doors with confidence and assurance, knowing that no one is going to stop them from getting to where they’re going. ...If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then I have only one suggestion – visit the museum. History demands it.
By Daniel Young