The Hands That Rocked The
Cradle - A Brief History of African-Americans and Slavery in the Wheat
Community, Roane County, TN
by David Neidig copyright 2000
From a talk given by David Neidig at the dedication of AEC #2 Slave Cemetery, and is followed by a paper written by Mr. Neidig.
SIGNIFICANCE OF WHEAT COMMUNITY AFRICAN-AMERICAN BURIAL GROUND
by David Neidig
The history of this area is important for many reasons, and it does my heart good to be even a small part of its preservation. But there is a deeper significance.Of course it is to honor and commemorate those who lived beneath the yoke of slavery and their descendants who are buried here, but it’s much bigger than that. As in all funerals and memorials, it’s also for us, the living, that we may express our grief at whatever loss we’ve sustained, be it mother or father, grandmother or grandfather, or the loss of innocence and esteem. To paraphrase the words of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it’s for the sons of these former slaves and the sons of these former slave owners that there might be reconciliation and the desperately needed healing that must take place in order for our nation to reach its full potential.
In a larger sense, it is for the many, many other descendants of those who were forced to live their lives in servitude and slavery who aren’t so fortunate as to know where the remains of their ancestors lie buried. Thus, this becomes a symbol for all to remember and honor, to learn from the lives of our ancestors. That, as the survivors of the Jewish Holocaust so eloquently and tirelessly proclaim: we should never forget - so it will never happen again. And so, it is important to all of us who live in this country and this community, which, in many ways, still is divided along the lines of race.
I never owned slaves; yet, I am aware that the fact of my skin being white has allowed me certain freedoms and opportunities which I know have been denied to many of my fellow human beings whose skin is of a darker hue. Therefore, rightly or wrongly, I bear the guilt of centuries of the enslavement of innocent peoples. There is no one in today’s
African-American community who has borne the burden of slavery; yet, shame, indignation, and anger initially experienced by slaves, and then passed from generation to generation, weigh like an oppressive mantle upon the shoulders of many whose heritage traces back to those days of auction blocks and servitude.We cannot free ourselves from these shackles and chains, but the love and forgiveness that we may offer each other can truly make a difference.
The study of history clearly shows that we have made enormous progress in the area of racial unity. However, there are many injustices which remain to be addressed, and this we should do; but addressing these issues of our shared past history and present conditions would be a major step in realizing and putting into practice the words of the Persian Prophet Baha’u’llah who said, “ Ye are the fruits of one tree, the leaves of one branch, the waves of one sea.” It is my hope and prayer that the Day will soon come when humanity reaps the full benefits of this essential understanding. After all, are we not all the children of one God?
The following article written by David Neidig, appeared in the December 2000 edition of the prestigious Tennessee Ancestors publication of the East Tennessee Historical Society. Membership information may be found at http://www.east-tennessee-history.org/membership/member.htm
The
Hands That Rocked the Cradle
A Brief History of African-Americans and Slavery in the Wheat Community
Part I Beginning
Part 2 AEC #2 - Slave Cemetery
Part 3 Brief History of the Wheat Area, the Welckers, and Gallahers
Part 4 Life of a Slave in Bald Hill
Part 5 Ravaged by War
Part 6 AEC Cemetery #2 - Slave Cemetery Revisited
Part 7 Acknowledgements
Part 8 - Appendix 1 - How We Got Started on This Project