Introduction
Maggie L. Walker was and remains an inspiring historical figure. She was a human rights activist, an entrepreneur, a wife, and a mother. She went a long and difficult path from a slave’s daughter to a successful member of the community and a civil activist. At the end of her life, Walker was paralyzed and used a wheelchair to move. However, she did not stop her activities and continued her struggle until the end of her life. It could be undoubtedly stated that Maggie L. Walker made a significant positive contribution to both her community development and the whole society changing.
Mainly, Walker is famous due to her activities dedicated to human civil rights protection. She was fighting for women’s rights and African American’s rights. In my opinion, it is essential to share information about this woman’s life and activities. With this purpose, The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site was established. This museum provides an opportunity to learn about Walker’s life path and to explore her ideas; moreover, it makes people think about social injustice in the past and the present.
Museum Exhibition
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is a national landmark dedicated to the life of an influential activist and fighter for human civil rights Maggie L. Walker. In the museum, I had an opportunity to learn more about her life’s circumstances. First of all, it was interesting to visit her house and to see how people lived one hundred years ago. It was exciting to see the furniture and other details of the interior which originally belonged to Walker. Besides, the building’s external and internal architecture was unusual for current times.
Another impressive part of the exhibition is a photo gallery. It was interesting to look at those black-and-white pictures which represent a woman and her surrounding: family members, friends, and colleagues. These photos show different aspects of Walker’s life. Through these pictures, I was able to understand her personality better. It could be stated that she was an active, friendly, and kind woman. Rarely, she was alone in pictures. It means that she was loved and respected by other people.
The Site also provides an opportunity to learn more about Walker’s public activities. In my opinion, it is the most important part of the exhibition. Walker’s life path could inspire other people. Items, connected to her social activities, economic improvement actions, and legislation, are presented in the museum. These items affected me a lot because they are part of our national history and our national path to freedom and democracy.
My Personal Feelings
During the excursion, I experienced different feelings. First of all, it was a growing interest in this historical figure and her influence on others. Walker’s life was important not only for her neighborhood but also for the society in general. Except for the interest, I also felt inspired. When I was looking at the evidence of Walker’s doings, I believed that everything in life was possible. A single person without a strong background could achieve success and become one of the most notable personalities among civil rights activists. For me, it means that I could do the same and could make my contribution to social development.
Other feelings that I experienced in the museum were connected with the problem of African American’s and women’s rights. It was hard to imagine times when Walker lived. In these times, both African American people and women faced strong discrimination. Nowadays, it seems to be strange that women could have no voting rights and that African American people had problems with employment and could not find a decent job. However, it was a part of our national history, the same as fighting for human rights. And I feel myself a little bit proud to be a part of this nation which went the long path from the slave society to the bulwark of the democracy. Finally, I felt alert because the fight is not finished yet.
My Understanding of Social Injustice
In our past, we lived in difficult times when different groups of people were considered to be not equal. Discrimination against African Americans was a terrible part of world history, in particular, the United States history. I was negatively impressed by the social injustice that was usual for several centuries. We think that race discrimination was a long time ago. However, in the XX century, the rights of white and black people were not equal yet. Moreover, it could be stated that the vestiges of racial discrimination exist up to date.
The situation with women’s rights seems to be similar. In the past, women did not have voting rights, could not get the education, and were not able to find a qualified job. All that women are expected to do was to be a wife and a mother. In the men’s world, no self-realization was envisaged for women. Certainly, the situation is different nowadays when women could get any education and take a job position according to their wishes. However, it is known that their income is much lower than men’s. Moreover, women are still responsible for all the housework and caring for children and other family members, often, without any men’s help. Thus, it could be claimed that racial and sex discrimination still exists, albeit in hidden form. People in society need to be aware of this situation and prevent discrimination from spreading.
Conclusion
In my opinion, visiting museums like Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is very important for personal self-development. This museum is interesting from the historical point of view because it represents a part of our national history. In this museum, a visitor could get more information about the fight for human rights through the example of one particular woman’s life. However, personal feelings and thoughts appearing in the museum are even more important.
In the museum, I started to understand better the problem of social injustice in the past and the present. In the past, the problem was evident, and people like Maggie L. Walker did their best to overcome it. It the present, this injustice is hidden: it exists, but people in society pretend that it is not true. To improve the situation, it is important to start with ourselves. We should be tolerant of our actions and words. For example, we should avoid racial and sexist jokes which seem to be innocent but implicate our intolerance. We should support people of different races and nationalities and be solid in our position. Thus, we should continue our struggle for human rights because everyone is an equally important member of the nation.