A community of freed slaves that sprang up in the Bethania area after the Civil War is finally starting to get the recognition it deserves. The recognition by a county historic commission, along with further study, could lead to inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. We need to celebrate all our history -- including black history.
Ali Shabazz, a descendant of those freed slaves, has worked for nearly 30 years toward getting their settlement recognized. It's a worthy goal. In the unsettled years following the Civil War, the Bethania Freedman's Community worshiped in its own church and established a school, a canning factory and two stores, Mary Giunca reported last weekend in the Journal. That history, represented by fragmentary foundations and a few remaining houses along Bethania-Rural Hall Road, is fading fast.
Some of the structures should be preserved. An archaeological study of the community might be needed as well. A marker from the Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission, which was dedicated last weekend, could start the process. The more recognition the settlement gets, the easier it should be to get grants for preservation and research. Ideally, we'd see a snowball effect.
That's needed now more than ever. Other communities similar to the Freedman's thrived in the area, but much of the history of those communities has been lost. The ruling culture writes history. It's only been in recent years in America, as minorities have managed to share power, that their history has started to receive the attention it deserves.
But there's a long way to go.
"We certainly don't have the voices of those African Americans," said Mo Hartley, the director of archaeology at Old Salem. "Most of them were not writing their history. Most of them were engaged in survival."
Shabazz said his quest is about fairness and setting the record straight. The remnants of the Freedman's community are as much a part of Bethania history as the well-preserved houses on Main Street. After all, slave labor built many of the historic buildings in the town of Bethania.
Some whites, and some blacks for that matter, might prefer not to delve into the slave-labor part of our history. But it can't be ignored any more than the strong communities that whites, blacks and American Indians built throughout our land can be ignored.
The Freedman's Community should be preserved and remembered. Ali Shabazz is working hard to see that that happens. We should support him in celebrating that history -- and in celebrating all our shared history.
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