Kamala Harris, speaking at a press conference after crossing the last stage of the passage of many enslaved Africans to America, urged the stories of the struggles to be told.
“In general, in many cases – freaks designed to break them, to discourage them from creating, in situations that make them feel less than human, less than fully human, but they survived. And they tell another history – a history of tolerance, a history of faith, believing in what is possible.
“A history speaks of each person’s ability to survive but also to thrive. So all these stories must be told,” he said.
She continued, “All these stories have to be told in a way that we take from this place, this place that hurts us all.
“And we carry the knowledge we gain here toward the work we do in lifting up all people in recognizing the struggles of all the people who fight as the walls of this place.”
What remains after the visit is justice and freedom for all people, as well as human rights for all people, he said.
According to her, “The descendants of the people who walked through that door are strong people, proud people.
“People of deep faith. People who love their families, their traditions and their culture. And carried that innate existence with them.
Because people’s experiences and survival tell a story of endurance, trust and faith where possible, he explained.