I think as a society, we’re entirely removed and desensitized to historical atrocities like slavery and genocide. It seems as though when most Americans are called upon to have a conversation about our nation’s original sin, the response is largely, “Yeah, it was terrible, but that was a long time ago.”
I could spend years discussing all the ways in which something that happened “a long time ago” still puts Black Americans at a severe societal disadvantage today. But, what I’d really like to turn our attention toward, are the enslaved people of Charleston. Some of their stories are featured at the Old Slave Mart Museum.
Their lives mattered. Their suffering still matters. The truth greatly matters. How can you be human and feel otherwise? If you appreciate the value of human life and dignity, then you would agree. It is one of my fiercest opinions that it’s not enough for Americans to passively hear about slavery. It’s imperative to see the photos, watch the documentaries, and to look into the eyes of the humans whose hearts once beat just as ours do today.
The Reviews Are In for the Old Slave Mart Museum.
This museum has a chance to do all of the aforementioned. In some ways, they offer an eye-opening portal to the Charleston slave trade. But in many ways, they fall short and sanitize the history in a way that’s not only disappointing, but insulting to some who visit. And that’s not just my opinion, check out this TripAdvisor review:
“There was nothing new learned, and there was no strong lesson/theme to be learned throughout the museum. A lot of fluff and no real deep history from Charleston given. I was very upset throughout because the selective words and themes. Case in point, second floor a Slave woman depicted in a sexual fashion when referring to the rape they had to endure. The only silver lining is that I hope everyone that came already knew slavery was bad and came in with a desire to learn…”
And this one says everything that quite frankly I felt once leaving the museum:
“When some of the exhibits are dedicated to themes like ‘other black people owned slaves’, and ‘very few whites owned slaves,’ this ‘museum’ is NOT where you want to get your information. This is an extremely small museum, and it is, frankly, offensive and obscene to dedicate wall space to this kind of garbage.”
A Sorely Missed Opportunity to Educate.
The Charleston Old Slave Mart Museum was originally a marketplace where enslaved people were sold to their captors. From the outside, it’s easy to get a sense of the imposing sinister feeling of this place’s history. The structure is fairly big and aesthetically, the exterior looks cruelly weathered. However, once inside, it’s obvious that this museum really needs the help of expert historians and activists for it to really do justice to the cause of remembering the lives of enslaved people who lived in Charleston.
The first floor of the building is really just a bunch of over-sized placards with some information. Much of that information is presented in a “yeah but...” manner that seems more as though it tries to explain away the history of slavery as opposed to actually discussing the challenges head on. I was disturbed by exhibits that sounded like, “Yeah but there weren’t as many slaves as you might think,” and “It wasn’t only white people who owned slaves.” I have to question the intention of including information presented this way. And, clearly, I’m not the only one (as seen above) to feel that this is uncouth.
Some highlights…
On the second floor of the building, the exhibits are more promising and do a better job at making the atrocities of slavery palpable. This floor is where photos and artifacts are housed. When we visited, a large photograph of the back of a slave who had received dozens if not hundreds of lashes stuns visitors into silence. It is exhibits like this that make people think twice before trying to simply overlook the dehumanization of others. And, as uneasy as visitors might feel walking among this type of history, in my eyes it’s vital. That visceral discomfort is what serves as a catalyst for change. As a result, it’s almost impossible to walk around the second floor and not feel a need to be part of a solution for the atonement of this period in history.
I think most people feel that because this museum is dedicated to the slave trade, it should inherently be highly rated. But, in my opinion, it falls short of its mission to educate people. It presents a sanitized viewpoint of the history of slavery which diminishes the extent of the damage caused. Plus, it didn’t address how the dehumanization of enslaved Black people lingers even today.
On a similar note, read about my experience with plantation tourism and whether it’s ethical here.
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