Slave Haven Underground Railroad and Civil Rights

North America » United States » Tennessee » Memphis
June 5th 2015

Published: June 6th 2015

Slave Haven Underground Railroad and Civil Rights. We came to Memphis to find the blues...we're soaking in it now. But we discovered something that wrenched our hearts...made us stand up and take notice...made us reflect and reflect again. And thank God this didn't happen to us. I'm talking about slavery...that blight on the history of race relations...white versus black. Then when slavery wa... Read Full Entry

Photos are below

Photos: 42, Displayed: 21

6th June 2015

RJT
Rachael

An accident of birth
It would be very confronting indeed, however necessary to visit it and remember this dark history...unfortunately we repeat ourselves. What a fascinating place to visit however.

6th June 2015

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

An accident of birth
Thanks for reading Rachael. Considering the biggest smiles, the biggest voices, the friendliest hearts, were from the Afro-American folk we met in Memphis...especially poignant...for them to share their stories with us.

6th June 2015

frankardenas
non-member comment

Nice description
I´d love to visit that museum, thanks for providing me with a good appetiser, great stuff and a lot to learn, Martin Luther King´s story is fascinating.

6th June 2015

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

a good appetiser, great stuff and a lot to learn
Well said Frank. Hard for me to say more than I've said at this time other than it has left me with a heavy heart...a very heavy heart.

6th June 2015

littlewing
Cindy

Bravo....you went there...
This blog is amazing David...digging the uncomfortable truth up - this comment stood out. Thank you Images that made me squirm...'cause 'twas obvious how fortunate I am...to be born white.

6th June 2015

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Bravo....you went there...
Thank you for commenting Cindy. Probably my most important blog...possibly my least popular! The Blues Highway is not just fabulous music...it has a history that is impossible to ignore...a history that is an integral part of the blues...an integral part of the human fabric that you see and meet on the way.

7th June 2015

Denise
non-member comment

Shaken to the heart
I was touched beyond belief at both of these places. Slave Haven because we had wonderful soulful conversation with the volunteers & delighted at the wonderful inventiveness of the abolitionists in their fight for justice for another human being. The Civil Rights Museum for their interactive displays that put you in someone else's shoes for a moment which shook you to the heart...great blog David.

7th June 2015

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Not our country's finest moments
Dangerous Dave here......your blog allowed others to glimpse a part of our county's past which is very painful to many people. With many shining moments in our history, this chapter was for lack of a better term...horrendous. Thank you for sharing your thoughts so others might better understand what occurred in the hopes this type of man's inhumanity to man will never occur again.

8th June 2015

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Not our country's finest moments
Thank you for your candid comments Dave. I report on two must-see sites of Memphis that were both shocking and victorious. Slave Haven for the ingenuity of the black slaves and their codes, National Civil Rights Museum for the fight for civil rights that had to be fought. These stories have to be told and shared by blacks and whites alike and I share with you the in the hopes that by so doing this type of man's inhumanity to man will never occur again.

8th June 2015

RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew

Memphis, Tennessee
Great post...I can imagine how moving it must have been to visit these places. I have been fascinated by this part of the US for a long time.

8th June 2015

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Memphis, Tennessee-Slave Haven & National Civil Rights Museum
Hi Ren. Moving, yes. Important to let fellow TBers know of these must-see sights, more so.

8th June 2015

A Small Swede in the Big World
Per-Olof Persson

Powerful words!
Racism is a scourge that needs to be eliminated from this world, it lays within each of us to treat everyone equally regardless of creed, sex and sexuality. It is within each of us to not be quiet when we see such things around us.

8th June 2015

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Powerful words!
I agree with your powerful words Per-Olof that deserve to be repeated "Racism is a scourge that needs to be eliminated from this world, it lays within each of us to treat everyone equally regardless of creed, sex and sexuality. It is within each of us to not be quiet when we see such things around us." You have thus named the 'elephant in the room' which I neglected to name. I have reported on two must-see sites but the important stories these places convey go much much further than that.

9th June 2015

Carolyn Taylor
non-member comment

The suporters of slave owners still goes on....
Are you really here in Memphis- again? Please e-mail me so we can meet. I have been to the Civil Rights Museum several times ( but not since it was updated last year). But it is Slave Haven that I think really tells a more personal story. It is privately owned and sometimes the woman that owns it is there. Her daughters help her run the place. I took a group of Russians who were here visiting Memphis there and they were astounded by the honestly shown. The young girl who gave them there tour sang some of the spirituals and it was incredibly moving. I lived in Massachusetts for 64 years and only moved to Memphis several years ago so the reality of the history of the South stills shocks me. There is still a huge fight going on in Memphis between African - AM and some 'enlightened' folks and the ancestors of Nathan Bedford Forrest and the sons and daughters of the Confederacy. He was a founder of the Ku Klux Klan and his statue stands in a park on Union Avenue (love that irony). The park has been renamed but the good ol' boys are fighting to get it back to 'honor' the general who was quite a slaughterer. Thanks for the history lesson. Carolyn / Gunga

9th June 2015

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

The suporters of slave owners still goes on....
I am somewhat relieved to receive your comments Carolyn as only one other American has commented and to me that is of concern. This is probably my most important blog, yet to date the least popular. The silence is deafening, yet the subject so topical. If it was about the Killing Fields in Cambodia or a massacre in Africa or anywhere other than USA, the interest may be significantly greater. Yet those that have commented convey like concerned minds. Great you agree Slave Haven is worthwhile. I find the balance of your post disturbing and vital you have so advised. I am a firm believer that light shone in dark corners makes cockroaches scuttle. We saw the film "Welcome to Leith" yesterday about a small USA town versus white supremacists so there is hope for goodness to prevail in your country yet.

8th October 2017

DaveandIssy
Dave and Issy Sheehan

I had a dream I would be free.
Absolutely amazing photo. Made me want to cry....

9th October 2017

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

I had a dream I would be free
A photo to fit the vibe of the blog. Sometimes we need an image that transcends the words. Thanks for commenting Dave and Issy.

Tot: 0.091s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 15; qc: 32; dbt: 0.0542s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb

Do not copy images or text from this page without requesting and receiving permission. All rights are reserved by the author and photographer.

Contact David Hooper (Dancing Dave) - a lack of a response does not mean that you have permission to use material from this page.

Slave Haven Underground Railroad and Civil Rights

Copyright Notice: All Rights Reserved