Starting the day off, it was rainy and due to the lack of umbrellas, we resorted to a bus tour. It was a bit hard to follow along completely since I resided at the rear of the bus, but as Dr. Mike talked about the numerous amount of historical markers in downtown Louisville, it was a fact that Kentucky highlights there is still struggle in the present, and amidst that struggle, we shouldn’t forget those who fought to make our struggles half as bad as their own.
Our next stop being the Muhammad Ali Center, I admired how lighthearted and interactive it was: from the boxing material to putting your hand in his in order to read about his life. I learned a lot of new information about him today, previously I just saw him as one of the best boxers of all time, but today I was made aware of how much of an impact he made throughout his come-up of gaining that title. A lot of his quotes spoke to me seeing as he was all about love and giving back, and I would like to think I’m the same way. Another part of the center that spoke to me was the “Otherism” section, and it helped me understand the principle of listening to others’ stories.
At the Freedom Center, I was moved by the somber tone of the place as it told several stories that had related to modern-day slavery, from sex trafficking to domestic servitude. Some of the stories horrified me walking through, especially the ones involving young girls who were sex trafficked and it disgusted me that this was the hard reality we live in. I was also able to watch a film about a man who had put his life in danger in order to get slaves the freedom they deserved. Throughout the film, I was reminded of the true courage it took, not only for the conductors helping the slaves run away, but for the slaves themselves. As the lady in the film was running through the woods with a cut on her foot, I kept thinking to myself “I don’t know how they did it, I would’ve given up.” I truly do applaud and mourn those who had enough bravery to attempt to escape, putting their lives on the line in hopes of a better world up North.
At the farewell dinner, we recapped and everyone was sharing their favorite moments of the seminar, what shocked them, and what they’re going to take back home with them. I realized that as a student and acknowledging that not everyone has access to an opportunity such as this one, it is my responsibility to educate them on the history that we’re not explicitly taught outside of the textbooks. Highlighting the quote [paraphrasing] “we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us,” I also realized we need to take advantage of the privileges we were given from those who fought so hard for future generations to have a better life. There are still so many problems going on today and, as a teenager, it’s so easy to get wrapped up in third-world problems when we could be utilizing our voices to bring about change.
I will forever be grateful for this experience as it taught me a lot, and forced me to acknowledge parts of my own history that made me largely uncomfortable, which I’m appreciative of. Whenever I was taught these lessons in class, I would dissociate in a way that wouldn’t allow me to feel the history completely, but all throughout the trip, I had no choice but to feel all of the pain and grief that I was avoiding prior.