The last three days I’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster, and it has been very personal to me. The first day we visited the Elmina Castle - the place where my ancestors were dehumanized and were forced to leave a country they loved, not knowing where they were going and if they would return. They left through the Door of No Return. They never had a chance to return. I was one of the last ones to leave from the door of no return due to my emotions. It was very hot in the small space; however, when I went to the door and thanked my ancestors, a cool breeze came through the door. My ancestors spoke to me, I heard them loud and clear.
The second day we visited Cape Coast Castle and I took the book: The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of my Family’s Journey to Freedom written by my cousin, John Barker. He traced our roots back to Ghana and some other African countries, so this is why this was very personal to me. During this tour I had the some of the same emotions as the first day. Not as strong as the first day but the same feelings: hurt, anger, disappointment, just to name a few. It’s one thing to watch Roots, and see it, but to walk the same path as they walked gave me a better understanding of the horrific conditions they had to endure. As I walked through the door of no return and re-entered through the door of return I felt a little bit stronger than before, with the help of my ancestors.
The third day is where my tears of sorrows turned to tears of joy!! We toured the Assin Manso Donkor Nsuo (Slave River) site. Our tour guide, Kofi said: “You coming back here provides closure for the land and for your African brothers and sisters who have been awaiting your return”. This is exactly what I needed -closure. Not the kind of closure of “it’s done” and now I move on to the next best thing. I have the type of closure that allows me to realize that I have the opportunity to go change the world because of what my ancestors endured. During our walk to the river, we connected to the earth and showed respect to this sacred place by removing our shoes.
Standing in the cold rushing water of Donkor Nsuo (Slave River) was emotional as well. Realizing this is the last bath before they reached the auction block sent chills all through my body. After standing in the river for a minute or so I began to talk to my ancestors and to tell them thank you. I also asked them a question about my life. Then suddenly the water became warm on my legs and feet. Once again I heard my ancestors! I started laughing and crying tears of joy because of what they said to me and when I asked, they spoke. I heard them and basically they said “You are our wildest dreams.” That was the closure I needed.
Rica Davis, Reading Interventionist, Grahamwood Elementary, Memphis, Tennessee