Quote Originally Posted by Pam View Post
To be well informed. All ethnic groups are part of US/World history.
If you only know one part, you don't get the whole picture.
You are exactly right.

The Museum loses a lot through its nationalistic focus though. There I was told by a docent that while Africans practices slavery, that it was more humane than European slavery. I was also told that the Portugese introduced Christianity to Africa in order to subjugate the Africans, when I well know that the Ethiopian and Egyptian Churches date to shortly after the time of Christ. I was also informed about Black Egypt, when in fact we don't really know what race Egyptians were. Race didn't really matter, in the Ancient World, but we aren't told that at the CHW.

Who had no mention was Crispus Attucks, the first casualty of the American Revolution, or the integrated, mostly Black, Rhode Island regiment that stormed the last rampart at Yorktown.

I'd venture to say while there is a lot of value at the Museum, it is largely focused on race rather than African-Americans. We're all taught the evils of slavery in school, so good luck trying to get Joe Sixpack from Brighton to spend a weekend teaching his children apparently how evil white people are. There is just a bit too much guilt for it to be truly a multi-cultural experience.

The best Museum I've been to is the Holocaust Museum in DC. It is really a tremendously comprehensive view of World War II, and all those who died in the Holocaust, Jewish, gays, Roma, Slavs, and communists. It looks at the disparate resistance movements that were composed of not just Jewish people but Gentiles as well. At the same time, it is by no means a feel-good experience.

Anyway, as much as I want to continue to see the presence of an African-American Museum, the CHW seems doomed to failure due to its infastructure and even its message, and certainly its management. Now the Detroit tax faucet is turned off, so they must adapt or die. It is really as simple as that.