An eye opening

This weekend has been so amazing that I do not know where to start. First and foremost, I would like to thank Pat Donuhue, Giametta Giancarlo, Rich Wilson, and Sejour Stephens for making this trip possible. Their hard work really did paid off. The drive to Virginia was actually not bad. I didn’t know I was one of the drivers until that morning, but I made the best out of it. This trip has not only changed my views about a lot of things, but has also given me the chance to get closer to my sophomore class mates. Our first stop was the Historic Slave Trial. It was a very interesting experience. I learned so much through the different exercises that was done as a group, which makes me realize our hard our ancestors work for us to have the things we have now. They did not have it easy. Waking up day by day, not knowing where you are, not knowing if you will survive to the next day is really hard. Mothers did not have it easy. A mother’s strength and motivation is to see their child have a bright future. But mothers that were slaves did not have it like that. They were sold and were separated from their husband and children.

The American Civil war center was also one of the places where we stop and took a tour. The first section of the exhibit focuses on the causes of the conflict, beginning with ideas, tensions, and compromises evident at the nation’s founding. One thing I took from this tour is that in 1787, at the Constitutional Convention, the crucial compromise to preserve the Union going forward was the Northern delegate’s acceptance of the continuation of slavery. History will always be history. But getting the opportunity to see the history at site, just feels different. It gives you a humble feeling to relax and just reflect upon what took place during that specific time.

Meeting the three Bonners from University of Richmond was also a good experience. Not only did we talk and interact, but they were happy to just have us on their campus. One thing that surprise me is that their undergraduate students are only three thousand. For a big school, I was expecting more than that. The campus is very beautiful.
To sum everything up, this weekend was definitely the best. I took a lot from it, and will keep this knowledge and information with me forever.

Richard Osei