To be quite honest I have procrastinated writing this article, only because my general goal is to create pieces that all readers can enjoy. This post brings up a topic that is not a comfortable one… Museums are all about celebrating the in History. But African and Black American History is filled with glory, discovery, invention, and unfortunately you can’t talk about where we are until you at least understand where we come from. And slavery was a very dark and ugly, but impactful element of our history. One many people what us to just get over, but to them I say… address the situation, acknowledge how one race benefited by demoralizing, oppressive often violent treatment and mistreatment of others and make restitution for the pain and suffering that was caused (just like they did with Native Americans, the Japanese and Korean and more. And then maybe people can heal.
Ok, enough of my personal feelings, as you can tell I too feel “some kind of way” when reflecting on those 400 years of tyranny and bondage. Moving on… Track with me as I describe my experience touring the APEX Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.
Parking outside what looked like a “Colored Entrance” from the Jim Crow days, we soberly entered the museum. There was an open door, a hallway, and a wider point of entry a few yards ahead of that. I choose to go through the furthest point and circle back to see what I passed up on my way out. Rounding the corner to the left I came face to face with a dark tunnel with a tall black mannequin chained standing in front as if guarding it… My heart leaped and I was mesmerized by the sight. For a moment I couldn’t move. And then I noticed a sign that said, “The Point of No Return.” And I don’t know… I just couldn’t handle it at that moment, so I continued on to the left to “The Timeline.” The Timeline showed in brief but inspiring detail the journey of black people from ancient times from Africa royalty, as Egyptian Pharaohs, Warrior Queens, the mass hi-jacking, and to more current times such as the sad, sad, and still yet unacknowledged Bombing of the Black Wall Street, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights movement… wow. my emotions were really stirring. One thing I really liked was that each display had a UR code to give additional info.
Knowing that he (the very tall, cold black mannequin) was standing behind me to the right I made a wide berth to the back of the tunnel, passing a cute little store on the left with books, info, jewelry, and other stuffs visitors could purchase to commemorate the experience. Coming around the back of the tunnel straight ahead I notice scantily clad mannequins, wearing little more than loin cloths standing on a platform with a full-length cloth advertisement behind them to the right that had imprinted on it: “TO BE SOLD… 250 fine healthy NEGROES… It stopped me in my tracks and my mouth fell open. I blinked a couple of times and turned my head to the left and directly before my gaze was several bottoms of feet… shackled together. My God it was a replica of a slave ship. I backed up so that I could focus on the whole thing. And my heart sank. Even now when I think of what they went through and the conditions they were forced to endure, I just want to cry. Laying shoulder to shoulder with shackles on their necks, wrists, and ankles… Packed into a wooden groove with barely enough space to lift their heads and look around… like fruit paced in a box one next to the other. They could barely move. If they had to vomit or use the restroom, they had to just do it where they lay. And if that weren’t’ enough there was another wooden layer with more human cargo above them like a bunk. So, you can just image the filth, the smell… and literally being covered by it for months. And what if the person you’re chained to dies… First of all, they didn’t know why they were taken or where they were going. Smh, I, I CAN’T… Talk about trauma.
Behind me were chairs and the film was about to start, which explained so much more. And finally, the story behind the chained black man and tunnel was explained. Its where strong African men and women entered as people, were packed in a shipping crate like fruit going to a farmers’ market, and then when arriving on the other end were sold like cattle to the highest bidder. That’s the door of no return. It turned royalty to chattel. They were beat, studded out, raped, breeded, lynched, subjugated, separated from other loved ones, and demoralized - they worked until they died and never saw their homeland again. More info was given on the progression of Black people in the film and when it was over. I thought I couldn’t take anymore. I quickly made my way past the table with artifacts and saw the replica of the black drug store… before heading down the hallway with plaques and info lining both walls I stuck my head into the door and went into the room, the first open doorway from the entrance… It was a room filled with bios of black women scientists! So cool… I made a quick loop and headed back down the hallway. I started to get excited as I heard a young black man exclaim into the camera that was filming him… “These are all the inventions Black people have made over the years! Why isn’t any of this in the History books?” Amongst the names and pictures were their actual patent numbers. Just to name a few…
The Thermostat Control, the Air Conditioning Unit, and the Motor - Fredrick M Jones (1939, 1949), Almanac - Benjamin Banneker (1791), Automatic Cut-off Switch - Granville T Woods (1889), Blood Plasma Bag - Charles Drew (1945), Bicycle frame - I. R. Johnson (1899), The Elevator - Alexander Miles (1867), The Fire Extinguisher - TJ Marshal (1872), Folding Bed - LC Bailey (1889), The Folding Chair - Brody & Sugar (1889), Guitar - Robert F Fleming, Jr (1886), Ice cream Scoop - AL Cralle (1897), The Lawn Mower - JA Burr (1889), Lawn Sprinkler - JW Smith (1897), The Mailbox - Paul B Downing (1939), Riding Saddles - W D Davis (1896), Spark Plug - Edmond Berger (1830), The Straightening Comb - Madam CJ Walker (1905), The Street Sweeper - Charles B Brook (1890), the Telephone Transmitter - Granville Woods (1884), The Traffic Light - Garrett Morgan (1923), The Tricycle - M A Cherry (1888), Ice cream - Augustus Jacks, The Gas heater and Clothes dryer - BF Jackson and the Potato Chip - Huram S Thomas. Even Michael Jackson had a paten up there for the I was really amazed at the ingenuity of our people. We invented the horseshoe, even Michael Jackson was on the wall of fame for creating the shoe apparatus from Smooth Criminal, remember that? Such amazing ingenuity, vision, and genius. There are many many more that it seems like history books have just overlooked. Lastly on the table at the end of the hall were, an eggbeater, train box cars, and the “insect destroyer” pump. At the exit ,I looked back one more time. I closed my eyes for a moment and gave myself permission to feel the sadness and then the pride. Thank you, Apex Museum (and staff), for today. You have lifted my head just a little bit higher.
If you’re in Atlanta, don’t forget to stop by and check it out.