The Brown Report

Brown University created the "Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice" and commissioned them to write an in depth report about the legacy and lasting meaning of American Slavery on Brown University, America, and the world at large. Some of the history uncovered was not the most positive for Brown's image. Some of the history was good for Brown's image in retrospect. They were overall straight forward and blunt, and this report was a very respectable move on their part. There is no way I am going to be able to cover everything they did on this blog, so I highly recommend reading it for yourself. The report can be found in its entirety in PDF format here.

Reasons For Doing So
Brown listed several reasons for doing this report, the main reason being the pursuit of truth that all universities claim to aim for. This largely comprehensive report focused on honesty. There have been many cases of selective memory and denial when it comes to discussion on this topic, and Brown wanted to avoid that. They decided to acknowledge and see if there was a way to make amends for a past trespass. They ask how a place that claims to be dedicated to knowledge (university or otherwise) could avoid looking its own past in the face. They also discuss the validity of some forms of reparations for different aspects of slavery.

Denial/Pain
This topic can bring pain to a lot of different groups of people, for various reasons. This cited as the main reason they are the first institute to put forth an effort like this. Some people would rather act like it never happened. Some people feel that it ended, and everyone should let it go. Some people say Barack Obama is President, so everyone should just let it go. One thing is true however, the American Slavery of the past still affects the American Society of today, whether we talk about it in public or not. There are still plenty of race issues in America, none quite as polarized, yet as subtle as a residual white and black tension. Not to say that all there is between the cultures is tension, but just to say that on some levels its still there.

Examples of Acknowledgement
America is however, not the only country with issues. Other countries have made reparations for past injustices. The most notable reparations program was Germany's somewhat hesitant official apology and series of reparations programs to families of victims of the Holocaust. Some people there also would rather forget some aspects of their past, but Germany was under international pressure and scrutiny after World War II. What I find most interesting is that America has given apologies before. Japanese-Americans interned during World War II, native Hawaiians, and victims of the Tuskegee "Bad Blood" experiment have all received at least a Presidential apology. Families of former slaves and indigenous Americans have received no formal apology.

Conclusion
In conclusion, after discussing the effects of slavery, the worlds reactions to similar situations, and the overall philosophy of America, Brown University believes that reparations are in order. However, the reparations do not have to come in the form of direct payments to descendents. Brown stated (& I agree) that the most favorable form of reparations would come in the form of what was most passionately held away from slaves: education. Brown found that slavery and the left-over, never fully dealt with effects of slavery have held African Americans back from receiving a equal education. This was changed in the 1960's legally, but there is a very clear overall gap in the level of education available even today. The process of reparations should address this issue.

emmett till.

This past weekend we traveled to see the Emmett Till locations. I'm going to assume everyone knows the story, at least somewhat. I could tell the story, but I will let the Mississippi Freedom Trail sign do that for me. Instead let's go on a short visual tour. I debated on if I should post pictures of his mangled body, since those pictures are so important to the civil rights movement. I decided they were too graphic for this blog. If you haven't seen them yet please do. Remember that this iwas a 14 year old boys punishment for whisiling at a woman that was seen as above him. It puts everything in context. A google search will turn the pictures up.

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The Remains Of The Store. This is what's left of the store that Emmett Till visited that fateful day. The store has obviously been out of use. The crazy thing about the store to me is that it used to be a spot to go to... But its currently in the middle of nowhere. It got me thinking back on how life might have been back then.

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The Shed. This is where 14 year old Emmett Till was taken to be tortured and killed for whistling at a white woman. The craziest thing about this shed however is that... Its on private property... and is still in use to this day...

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The Tallahatchie River.The river that Emmett Till was found in 3 days later. 'Nuff said.

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The Courthouse. This is where the murder trial for Roy Bryant (the husband) and J.W. Milam (his half brother) happened. There was international outrage, amazing press coverage, witnesses to the kidnapping, a witness who heard the screams and was threatened into silence by one of the defendants, motivation, and one of the most famous graphic pictures of all time was the picture of Emmett Till that was circulating. The trial took place in Mississippi in the 1950s. They were acquitted by an all white, all male jury. They later admitted in "Look Magazine" that they did do it. They could not be tried again due to double jeopardy protecting them against being retried. Isn't that crazy? The only question I really have for them is did they ever regret it? Did they ever even feel bad?

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(Bonus) Robert Johnson Greenville, MS Grave. This is one of the graves for blues legend Robert Johnson.

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Memphis A.K.A. Civil Rights & BBQ Sauce.

I had never been to Memphis before. My fellow interns and I (minus Kalina who went home for the weekend and plus Andre, an in intern from the Mississippi Innocence Project, which fights for the freedom of people who have been wrongly incarcerated) heeded the words of Mr. Ben Guest (the boss man) and packed up and went to Memphis for a Saturday.

 

First stop? Ribs. Blues City Cafe on Beale Street was supposed to be top tier so we headed that way. In the end I felt they were good but didnt live up to all the hype around them. Next we looked around Beale Street, the most famous street in Memphis. Its a long strip of bars, restaurants, clubs, and shops that is closed off to cars. It looked interesting and we made a note to come back later. Onto the next stop and the main focus of our trip.

This is the Lorraine Motel, the motel that Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in. But wait... whats this?

The National Civil Rights Museum is built into the motel! The idea was surprising at first but makes a lot of sense. The museum was a comprehensive look into the struggle from the slave ships to the end of the Civil Rights Movement and into the future of civil rights. You walk though and see pictures, documents, and videos documenting the struggle. It is a great experience that I highly recommend. I even got my father a book from the gift shop. They directly banned the taking of pictures so I only took a couple.

I found the burnt carcass of the bus to be visually striking. The second, less clear picture is a look into room 306, the room Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was staying in before his assassination. The picture came out badly due to a glare off of the protective glass, but I figured it was still worth adding. The museum also has a second part across the street.

The window that James Earl Ray allegedly fired the shot that killed the unofficial leader of the Civil Rights Movement from. A powerful view. In this part of the museum system there is information about the detective work on, the actual mechanics of, the chase after, and the court case following the assassination. There is also information on and even some evidence pointing towards other theories on the assassination. They do not say for sure what happened, but leave it up to the museum goers to decide themselves. You have to go and see for yourself.

After we went to Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken for dinner. Below you can see the difference Beale Street at noon and in the evening when people are beginning to head there for the night.