I just heard about the “Freedom Trail” that is taking place in Westerville, OH (not far from where I live).  Apparantly, it’s a walking tour that allows the visitors to be a part of a reinactment of slavery.  It includes everything from hiding from slavers to an actual slave auction.

Now I really don’t have time to be writing a blog right now (have a lot to do), but I just HAD to write this immediately.  I am absolutely disgusted by this “Freedom Trail”.  Don’t get me wrong, I am all for remembering the past for the sake of not making the same mistakes again and for bettering ourselves.  However, I believe that in this day and age, we should NOT be reinacting things like slavery.  Everyone today knows that slavery is wrong.  Everyone knows how horrible it is, how stupid it was, and how unfair/unjust/inhumane it was.  There is no doubt about that. 

All I have heard growing up is how everyone wants to move on past the slavery, yet no one really wants to let it go.  As a caucasion person, I don’t spend my day taking note of skin color and thinking about slavery.  And frankly, I don’t believe I should.  Instead, I believe it’s time to move on and let go of the idiotic mistakes that our ancestors made so long ago.  I am not them.  You are not them.  So why do we keep bringing it up?  I am so tired of hearing about it like it happened two days ago.  Things like this are why we can’t move on.

Now please, before you start cussing me out for being insensitive… I realize that anger and resentment is still there to an extent.  I don’t blame anyone for feeling that way.  But what I do have a problem with is people who want to continue pointing fingers and blaming each other for things we had nothing to do with.  As the future generation, it’s not our faults that things went down the way they did.  And because this is still going on… this is why we should NOT be reinacting things like slavery.

I’m not suggesting that everyone forget about the past or forget about slavery.  It is something that must be taught in school history as a reminder of human nature.  I’m simply saying that it’s time we all unite (every religion and ethnicity) and accept each other for who we are.  Stop living in the past.  Stop creating more new ways to say “LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED” and rubbing it in everyone’s face.   We KNOW.  It’s horrible.  But I am ready for something better and new.  And I imagine most other people are too.

I also want to point out that I feel the same way about war reinactments.  Or any other reinactments of terrible events in our history.  Why do we keep trying to relive this terrible stuff?  Are the books and pictures not enough?  Ugh.