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Is our North Fork community inviting to people
whose ancestors were “servants and slaves”?
(With apologies for the languaging in my title. It is a quote.)
Some of us can conjure in our minds examples of communities broadcasting “you are not welcome” messages to people who may be outsiders, poor, or from different cultural or racial groups. A stark example I remember is living down south, and being told that a lawn jockey outside a home at the bottom of the mountain, meant that people of color were not welcome to continue up to that mountain community.
It turns out, all across America, some communities and organizations have specifically used historical markers to convey the “keep out” message to certain groups of people.
Alternately, there are some places where the current residents probably wish to be open and inclusive, but relics of the past send out different messages. I feel that it is important to be sensitive to these messages, and to remove or replace them. I hope that majority groups will understand the hurt and harm that these messages may send to passersby.
I stumbled upon an upsetting historical marker, by a roadside in eastern Long Island, a short drive from my home. The marker had been placed there by a local historical society in order to allow people to study an old home from the outside. (I believe that it was placed sometime in the 2000’s.) The marker nonchalantly describes the work of studying artifacts from wealthy families and “their servants and slaves.”
That old phrase, “their servants and slaves”, should not be used in any modern retelling of history. No human being should be referred to as a “slave”. The more acceptable and more current way to say it (and to reflect on what truly happened) is “an enslaved person”– a person, a human being, who has tragically been enslaved by others.
To call someone a servant is also considered insulting. When describing any person or group of people, one should probably use “person-first language.” So, perhaps, the marker should say, “people who worked for the family.” Another option is to say “domestic worker.” I feel like this point is especially important, considering that some people in eastern Long Island communities currently employ nannies and other domestic workers. What happens in a wealthy employer’s heart as they read such a marker? How would someone working on the North Fork today, say as a nanny, feel as they read such a marker?
A thoughtful response
I reported my observation and concerns to the nonprofit who is in charge of the site’s upkeep. I feel encouraged that a contact person emailed me back with reflections on the organization’s mission and path towards diversity measures, and with concern about how to rectify the historical marker. It turns out that the plastic and wood sign was part of a grant from several years ago, I think in the 2000’s. At the time, the language was considered acceptable. It sounds like the organization is probably open to fixing the situation. I plan on checking up.
The contact person also sent me some fascinating articles which informed me about the wider problem of historical markers. One interesting article is: Historical markers in America: the good, the bad and the quirky. NPR. April 22, 2024.
How much does this marker matter? What does it reveal?
It is so important to preserve history. And, also, important to learn from history.
These tasks of preserving and learning are so intertwined, and so complex, that sometimes, our organizations and communities are burdened by the responsibility to do both.
Though, I do hope that finding these overlooked, unkind words can help some people awaken to deep injustices in history which not only shaped our world in the past, but may cast light on injustices that still linger in our world today.
The words that I found, while looking for respite on a bench on the side of the road, are clearly not the only words or symbols from the past which insult minority groups and perpetuate injustice. The article from NPR and some recent examples of local conflict — such as concerns in 2022 at the Suffolk County Historical Society – remind us that deep injustice creates a deep need for revising history and healing wounds.
As a poet and ruminator, I can’t help but wonder what it has meant for these words, “their servants and slaves” to remain on a path by the road, all of these years, without being questioned and challenged. I even found the words of the sign collected on a website celebrating markers and plaques from around the country.
I do hope that people will take the time to reflect on these words now. And, I hope that the organization responsible for the upkeep of the house and markers will think of a quick way to alter them to something more respectful.
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Author Kimberly Wilder is a resident of Riverhead, Long Island, NY. Ms. Wilder is a poet, community organizer, and essayist. If you are interested in learning more about the specific historical marker described or where it is located, please contact Ms. Wilder at: kilovesmusic AT gmail DOT com.
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Fuller quotation from the historical marker:
“The interior furnishings reflect a wealthy household. The artifacts and reproductions allow visitors to experience the lifestyles of the 17th century families (Budd, Horton, Wickham), their servants and slaves.”
Filed under: activism, independent politics, local, long island, Long Island news, Long Island Politics, Nonprofit Orgs, progressive politics, reform, social & economic justice, suffolk county | Tagged: African American History, black history, Diversity, enslaved people, historical markers, history of slavery, kimberly wilder, long island, Long Island history, North Fork, North Fork history, racial justice, their servants and slaves | Leave a Comment »
