JOURNALING FROM THE LEGACY MUSEUM
By Finn
The Legacy Museum is an experience of a lifetime for those who have come and for the many who will come in the future. This museum did an excellent job of portraying specifics and, in doing so, capturing the emotions of the people visiting.
Examples of specifics are meaningful, hand-drawn videos, jars of dirt from where people were lynched, and the fact that the building is itself an old slave warehouse. The fact that it’s located in an old slave warehouse is meaningful to many because you learn about the movement under the same roof that people were herded and separated from their families like cattle.
Something that shocked me in this museum was that there were lynchings in every state in the US except for New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. In Colorado alone, there were three lynchings documented in the Pueblo Area. However, the majority of lynchings occurred in the south, the majority of those occurring in either Alabama or in the DC metropolitan area.
Another thing that struck me was the number of African American slaves, prisoners, and convicted children. From 1776 to the abolition of slavery, roughly 13 million enslaved people were imported from Africa to the Americas. Today, a third of all black baby boys is expected to go to prison. Recently, a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to life in prison. This in itself should send a message that something needs to change.
Furthermore, it was really messed up to see the pictures of the people lynched—photos of how someone died violently just because of the color of their skin. The Legacy Museum gave us great insight into how much people of color have suffered to gain their rights, and how much further we need to go in order to achieve full integration and racial equality.
Examples of specifics are meaningful, hand-drawn videos, jars of dirt from where people were lynched, and the fact that the building is itself an old slave warehouse. The fact that it’s located in an old slave warehouse is meaningful to many because you learn about the movement under the same roof that people were herded and separated from their families like cattle.
Something that shocked me in this museum was that there were lynchings in every state in the US except for New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. In Colorado alone, there were three lynchings documented in the Pueblo Area. However, the majority of lynchings occurred in the south, the majority of those occurring in either Alabama or in the DC metropolitan area.
Another thing that struck me was the number of African American slaves, prisoners, and convicted children. From 1776 to the abolition of slavery, roughly 13 million enslaved people were imported from Africa to the Americas. Today, a third of all black baby boys is expected to go to prison. Recently, a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to life in prison. This in itself should send a message that something needs to change.
Furthermore, it was really messed up to see the pictures of the people lynched—photos of how someone died violently just because of the color of their skin. The Legacy Museum gave us great insight into how much people of color have suffered to gain their rights, and how much further we need to go in order to achieve full integration and racial equality.