“If we don’t remember history we are doomed to repeat it.” This phrase is true, but as a senior Black woman in the US, I’ve been so disheartened to see how these words have been co-opted by those who don’t have the Black community’s best interests in mind. It has always seemed outwardly insulting having historical locations keep Confederate monuments up. It feels like a slap in the face, a thumbing of the nose, a brush off to the feelings of myself and my people. As a baby boomer travel influencer who’s been to dozens of countries, I’ve seen firsthand that the bleak spots in history don’t need to be celebrated to be remembered.
Removing an Evil Legacy in Berlin
I once planned a vacation to Germany and visited the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, where they hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics. This is the very same stadium where Hitler refused to shake Jesse Owens’ hand when he won the gold medals for the long jump, 100- and 200-meter dashes, and the 4×100 meter relay. But when I toured the stadium, Hilter’s name was remarkably absent.
When I got back to my former exchange student/German daughter’s house and asked her about it, she said, “Mom…you won’t see Hitler’s name or image anywhere. It’s been removed from everything. It’s like he never existed.” Other German leaders had their names carved into monuments, but there was an obvious effort to remove the legacy of one of the most evil men in history.
Remembering History Without Glorifying It
In the heart of Berlin, you’ll find an awe-inspiring memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. Throughout the city, visitors will see small bronze plaques, “tripping stones,” which mark a home where a Jewish person was taken. Historians traced Jewish victims back to these buildings, and artists were commissioned to create something special to remember these people with. These bronze markers are all over the city.
In Europe, concentration camps are now sites where visitors go to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust. I visited Auschwitz in Poland and was horrified to see how large the compound was. It covered more than 15 square miles of land. But in the states, the comparable thing—plantations—is used for wedding venues and event sites. The house where Hitler and his cabinet devised the whole Jewish extinction plan is now a museum, not an entertainment venue.
How Should We Be Memorializing History?
The losers of the dividing war between North and South are memorialized throughout the United States, but mainly in the South. It took years of explanation, education, and pleading for statues to be removed, and names of buildings and military bases to be changed. Even so, many people and organizations feel the need to fly the Confederate flag—one that represents the horrors that Black people had to endure. It’s been over 100 years since the war ended, but arguments ensue.
Taking an international trip to Berlin gave me the examples I needed to explain why I have been so offended as a Black person to see these memorials to Confederate soldiers. By removing Hitler’s name from Holocaust memorials NO ONE has forgotten who he was. Germany removed his name in an effort not to commemorate someone who motivated people to hate and carried out some of the worst atrocities humanity has ever seen. There are plenty of memorials, ones that honor victims and encourage us not to repeat history’s mistakes. You can honor the victims, not the aggressors, and still never forget what happened.
In the States, many people proudly wave the Confederate flag under the guise of loving the South, being a “redneck,” and other such things. According to my German daughter, Germans don’t flaunt the Nazi flag under the guise of some other cause they support.
Let’s Take a Cue from Our German Friends
Instead of using plantations, where Black Africans were broken to be used as slaves, as locations for glamorous events, they could be turned into memorials or museums, much like what Germany has done with concentration camps. The best way to remember victims of slavery would be to remove monuments, change place names honoring Confederate soldiers, and repurposing plantations.
As I plan mother daughter trips throughout the world, I’m always aware of how victims and their oppressors are portrayed. The good news is that changes ARE happening in some places across the US (I think of American Beach). But change needs to be made in ALL those places. Let’s remember victims in a way that doesn’t minimize their suffering or celebrate the aggressor.