Extra Credit:James River Park Slave Trail

James River Park Slave Trail

I wanted extra so I decided to walk the slave trail. I never knew how much it would impact me.

The area of the Manchester docks and slave trail shaped the history and culture of Richmond. The docks, five railroads, and several dirt highways all came together in this location and made the transport, trade and commerce of these humans possible. According to one of the historical markers Richmond was the largest exporter of human beings in the nation for over 40 years.

*Note to the class the first part of the trail is really bumpy and all covered over with leaves and such. To say the least, it was difficult to push the stroller through!

I started off walking down the path. The weather has been really beautiful lately and this day was no exception. I was enjoying being outside and I was enjoying the sunshine. The path winds along the river side and the view is breathtaking. Then my thoughts turned to the reason why I was walking this path. I tried to picture myself as one of the slaves just recently let off the slave ship tired, sick, starving and probably terrified. To have been ripped from my home and family and then endured the journey across the ocean is a miracle in itself. But now to be walking into the unknown, to have no idea what was next and not realizing the nightmare had only just begun.

Another marker said that the slaves were chained at the neck and legs and marched at night to avoid offending citizens with their oozing sores, filth and stench from the ships. I imagined the pain and agony they must have been in. The walk turned somber for me. It seemed like I could feel the horror of the thousands of souls that traveled that path. I swear I could almost hear the whisper of their cries in the wind. It was a sublime moment for me to travel that same path and try to empathize with this atrocity of the past. I am so glad I decided to do this. I would recommend it to all of the class. It was kind of similar to my experience going to the holocaust museum. It was really sad and hard to do but I feel like I connected with the past and I have a better understanding of what the slaves went through.