Reflections on the Railroad
Journal entries from trip participants, posted from the road...
August 2, 2001
Reflection – Crossing the Detroit into Canada
As I cross the river into Canada, I cannot help but think of the what the enslaved Africans, those freedom seekers, were thinking as they made this final leg of the difficult journey. Canada to them must have felt like exiting a long dark cave. Alas, no more living in hiding! What a joyous moment filled with hope about a future that would not have been possible in the U.S. of the day.
Christine Dombrowski
Reflection – Walls House
Today we visited the John Freeman Walls Museum in Windsor [Maidstone], Canada.
The level of interest was very high for all of us but the highlight of my day was meeting an eleven year old young man named Josh Walls.
Josh saw the teachers using the palm pilots and began to ask questions. Before long, my palm pilot was in his hands. He quickly began to use it, working math problems on the calculator, and using the memo pad to write “Josh Walls was here!” He said to me “This is really neat. I’m going to show my dad” (Eric Walls, 4th generation descendant of John Freeman Walls, who was helping in the shop.) His dad was busy helping the teachers select their educational materials, but Josh got his attention quite quickly.
His father was impressed as Josh took pictures in the museum, made use of the memo pad and seemed captivated by the palm pilot. His dad agreed that it was a great tool and that he would purchase a pilot for his son. Technology as a tool!
Dr. Laura Young
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