|
[http://www.aframnews.com/html/includes/left_nav_1.htm]
|
The Path to Freedom
By Representative
Sheila Jackson Lee
Reflecting on her experience of leading slaves through the Underground
Railroad, the great Harriet Tubman once remarked, “I never ran my train off
the track, and I never lost a passenger.” That tenacity fueled by the sheer
will to survive and be free is the focal point of the new National
Underground Railroad Freedom Center which has recently opened in Cincinnati,
Ohio.
The public dedication of the Freedom Center this week will make history as
citizens, business leaders, historians, artists, and elected officials from
coast to coast enter the nation's first cultural institution dedicated to
telling the story of the journey from slavery to freedom in the United
States and how it has inspired other freedom movements—past and
present—around the world.
Situated on the banks of the Ohio River, the waters that once separated
slave and free territory, the Freedom Center celebrates the legacy of
courage and interracial cooperation embodied in the story of the Underground
Railroad—the network of blacks and whites that helped intrepid slaves to
escape bondage.
Texas has a long history of slaves who were among the many risking their
lives in search of freedom. By 1855, some 4,000 slaves in Texas had taken
their chances and run away. That bold spirit only intensified as the slave
population increased and eventually made up one-third of the overall Texas
population. Some apologists for slavery argued that Texas slaves were
pampered, but as one former slave wisely noted, “Tisn’t he who has stood and
looked on, that can tell you what slavery is—‘tis he who has endured.”
In Texas, we recognize the value of the hard work that went into creating
projects such as the Freedom Center. With the passage of a concurrent state
house resolution, we recognized the effort that local historians Naomi and
Allen Grundy put into creating the educational series entitled “Blazing
Trails to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in Texas.”
Sadly, we do not have to look back to the past to find the pain and cruelty
of bondage. We can look right across the Atlantic Ocean today. Sudan’s black
population is ravaged by violence, oppression, and chaos. In attempt to rid
the Darfur region of Western Sudan of its black African population, the
government-armed militiamen—the Janjaweed—have killed some 50,000 and
displaced more than one million from their homes. In fact, according to some
human rights groups, the government has even encouraged this vicious militia
to use rape as a “weapon.” Right now, that land is teeming with men, women
and children seeking refuge from the gang rapes, murders and starvation
ravaging the burned out villages they once called home.
Absolutely horrified by this state of affairs, my colleagues and I in
Congress have passed a resolution to declare the situation in Sudan as a
genocide to clear the way for immediate further steps. Indeed, there is a
lot more that the Administration and we can do to end these crimes.
Unfortunately, however, the black Africans in Sudan are not alone in their
struggle for freedom. Today, there are some 27 million men, women and
children around the world who are confined by the shackles of slavery. While
the United States may seem to be an oasis of freedom, 50,000 individuals are
trafficked into our country each year for domestic work, migrant farm labor
and even sexual exploitation.
As we consider this sobering reality of desperate men and women trying to
map out their own escape routes to freedom, we are posed with a choice: Will
we stand passively or will we do everything we can to put an end to the
injustice and destruction?
The opening of the new Freedom Center should help steer us in the right
direction by shining a bright light on those around the world and throughout
history who have chosen action over inaction. The exhibits, theater, and
interactive programs help to paint a vivid picture of both the history and
legacy of the struggle for freedom around the world. A special dialogue zone
with trained facilitators will help foster reflections and discussion among
visitors and offer ways to translate their experience into positive action
at home.
Designed by Walter Blackburn, the great-grandson of former slaves, the
Freedom Center houses a 4,000-square foot original slave pen, once used to
warehouse slaves. The slave pen serves as a chilling reminder that the
central characters in the story of the Underground Railroad were the slaves.
Yet the Freedom Center’s exhibits emphasize that the supporting roles of
those who took
risks to help the fugitive slaves must never be forgotten. When faced with
the critical question, these men and women stepped forward to clear the path
for mon-
umental journeys to freedom.
As Sudan burns and teeters on the brink of genocide, and mil
lions around the globe remain in bondage, it is our turn to stand up and
light the path to hope for our brothers and sisters fleeing in the darkness.
It is our turn to be Freedom’s Conductors and honor the legacies of the
heroes and “she-roes” who saved so many lives. Representative Sheila Jackson
Lee represents Houston’s
18th Congressional District. She is First Vice Chair of the Congressional
Black Caucus; a member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security,
and the Ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Immigration and
Claims.
|
