Tuskegee

[lizzybennet]

The weather was beautiful on the day we went to Tuskegee. I learned so much while we were there. I wanted to go there because I studied Booker T. Washington last semester and read Up from Slavery.I was very impressed by the great things he did in establishing the Tuskegee Institute and I wanted to see it for myself. However, I will admit that I was nervous about going to Tuskegee. I had no reason to be. Everyone was so polite. People actually went out of their way to greet us. It was an odd feeling to be a minority (I know that may sound horrible to say, but it's true.) I knew very little about George Washington Carver and they had a very informative museum dedicated to both him and Booker T. Washington. What a man! He did so much to better the people of Tuskegee and in turn the whole South.

This is the Tuskegee Court house. It is the only courthouse in Alabama with Gargoyles on the tower. It was also where a famous lawsuit concerning the Tuskegee Syphilis Study was filed.

The Oaks: this was Booker T. Washington's home. It was designed and built by students of the Tuskegee Institute. The bricks were also made by students.

Comments

[-bella-luna.livejournal.com]

The syphillis study...didn't they give syphillis to a bunch of black men to see how it would affect them and they gave it to them because they were black and therefore not "really" as important as the white men?

It's terrible how we treat each other.

[mysteena.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's the one. I guess I shouldn't be shocked by anything any more. However, I was horrified when I learned the details of the study. The study went on for 40 years! Some of these men had children who were born with syphilis and still they weren't given medication. They weren't even told they had syphilis. The one good thing that did come out of this study was protection laws for patient participation in investigational studies. It is a shame that we even need such laws. Can't we, as fellow human beings, just not harm each other with out laws to make sure we are kind to one another?

[-bella-luna.livejournal.com]

I know! I feel exactly the same way. Humans are idiots, we really are.