Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Obama: Slavery Monument 'Place of Profound Sadness'

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 11, 2009 2:04 PM CDT

(Newser) – President Obama toured the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana today, a shipping-off point for African slaves to America, Reuters reports. He saw the monument as a reminder. “As painful as it is,” the president said, “I think that it helps to teach all of us that we have to do what we can to fight against the kinds of evils that sadly still exist in our world, not just on this continent but in every corner of the globe.”

Obama also spoke of the macabre contradiction inherent to the place. “There's a special sense that on the one hand this place was a place of profound sadness,” he said. “On the other hand, it is here where the journey of much of the African American experience began.” The whole Obama family toured the fort, including the “Door of No Return” where slaves boarded the ships.

The Obamas tour Coast Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana.
The Obamas tour Coast Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana.   (AP Photo)
President Barack Obama tours the Cape Coast Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana.
President Barack Obama tours the Cape Coast Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana.   (AP Photo)
President Barack Obama delivers a few words following a tour of the Cape Coast Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana.
President Barack Obama delivers a few words following a tour of the Cape Coast Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana.   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 8 comments
justme
Jul 12, 2009 12:32 PM CDT
Has anyone noticed that this is all 140 years ago? It is all meaningless since the politicians and even political parties involved are all DEAD. Obama's dad's family never made it on the ship. Give it all a rest. We have way to much real problems to work on.
surlyotter
Jul 12, 2009 3:22 AM CDT
Yes, because a proposed fiscal stimulus is precisely comparable to cramming 500 unwilling souls into the berth of a ship destined for a months-long voyage in which many of its proposed "cargo" would die a horrible death...please, please stop making such unfounded analogies!
Fondue
Jul 12, 2009 3:03 AM CDT
brewsky...lol....you're old
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne