Lifting Up African American History

 I was walking down the street in Georgetown the other day, en route to take care of a mundane errand, when I came across this sign:

Of course, I knew that Georgetown preceded the establishment of Washington as a important commercial center on the East Coast, and of course, I knew that chattel slavery was an integral part of its history. Still, the sign shocked me, particularly the frank description of the site being used as a "slave pen," a term that reinforces the notion that enslaved people were considered a lower form of life, more similar to pigs and cows than to other human beings.

And it was good to be provoked out of my somnambulant state where the scenery otherwise provided views of small but well maintained townhouses dating back to Colonial days.

The sign was posted as part of the Georgetown African American Historic Landmark Project.  While you can get to their home page, unfortunately, there seems to be a problem if you try to dive deeper into information about specific sites and tours.  I did find another way to learn via the Commission on Fine Arts website:  this document includes a map and information about the project's work to date.  Add an African American history tour to my to do list.