Monday, July 28, 2008

A Bench Memorial for Slavery


At Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island, S.C.: Toni Morrison, far left, led the procession during a ceremony dedicating her “bench by the road,” honoring the memory of slaves who arrived there. (NY Times photo and caption)

TONI MORRISON got her wish. Anyone who was mesmerized by her Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece Beloved knows that the novel commemorates the history of slavery. But there's literature and there's life. Back in 1989, the Nobel Laureate told a magazine, “There is no suitable memorial, or plaque, or wreath or wall, or park or skyscraper lobby. There’s no 300-foot tower, there’s no small bench by the road.”

As of this past weekend, there is now a small bench by the road. By a road on an island off the coast of South Carolina. An island where many, many slaves were dragged in shackles and chains into the New World.

Read all about it.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Very powerful. I wish I had been there to witness the procession and dedication.