Virginia 2010

Our trip to Richmond, Virginia was amazing. We were able to get a tour of the Slave Trail and the American Civil War Museum; both of them were very interesting. The mission of the Slave Trail is to raise awareness and informational accuracy about Richmond’s role in the slave trade. When we arrived, we walked along the trail as our tour guide explained to us the conditions and hardships of slaves during that period. While his explanation was going on, he was able to include us in an activity. This activity consisted of everyone holding hands; one hand up front and the other one back and walking together along the trail without talking. This was a very difficult activity because the whole time we had to look down to make sure we didn’t trip or fall. Being in that situation made us feel powerless and inferior to others, which made us understand more of how the slaves felt. During this activity we were really able to capture the importance of knowing what occur throughout the Slave Trail.

The next day, we all had the opportunity to see the beautiful campus that the University of Richmond had to offer. Richmond University was definitely one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen. There, we also got the chance to meet with other Bonner scholars. It was interesting to see how many things we all had in common. We were able to visit their sites and learn about their responsibilities. This trip definitely brought us together as a class and it was because of our belief in community service.