Liverpool

We began with the statue given by the church to commemorate the nine million who emigrated to America from the Liverpool docks. I liked the crab who represents the deep connection to the sea and the fact that the child was touching the Dad representing the new emigrations hanging on to their traditions of the old world. Off topic but there was a statue Billy Fury who everyone mistook for Elvis.

Billy Fury

Emigrating Family

We spoke of the emigration and same students shared individual stories of relatives that converted in the British Isles and then emigrated. It reminds me of my ancestors that I am named for who came over on the Mayflower. We finished by singing “Come, Come Ye Saints” and enjoying the strong spirit.



Next I went to the Maritime Museum and I was inspired by the Joseph Conrad quote, “As long as men will travel on water, the sea gods will take their toll”. I walked through the Titanic exhibit, a naval exhibit (in which I was incensed that there was this hardcore propaganda poser that showed a little boy of about four years old standing attention to the sea captain of a large ship in uniform who is likewise in attention and the slogan was “Run Away to Sea”), and a slavery exhibit. It was quite moving when in the Titanic exhibit they played “Nearer My God to Thee”.


In the slavery exhibit I found it quite ironic that they quoted Woodrow Wilson saying that liberty requires resistance. It is ironic considering that they took this quote out of context and Woodrow Wilson was pro-Ku Klux Klan and quite racist. Other than that one offensive quote I loved Nelson Mandela’s quote: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others” and Frederick Douglass’ quote: “No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck”. Man the power of a great orator. I was so proud when they cited Boston for having a statue of Harriet Tubman. I ended the exhibit by listening to Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” – yeah buddy!