My Harlem Experience (#2)

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/timeline/game.htm

 I only vaguely understood the feelings that African American's had towards our black president until our field trip to Harlem. Of course I knew that blacks were happy about it but i never grasped the importance of the situation until I heard the joy in Neal Shoemaker's voice. It was inspiring to hear him speak with such pride when he took us to the Barrack Obama tribute museum. The significance of the event never struck me until we traced the line of black history back to slavery. Now I understood how incredible it was that we had come this far. The timeline posted above is similar to the physical one we experienced durning our Harlem field trip.

What was also amazing was the muslim religion and the good things that were produced from it. For instance, I had no idea that anyone in the community could become the Imam, or leader, of the Mosque and muslim community. It is incredible that they could put so much trust in whomever was the most "pure of heart". That is a huge difference from Christianity which has different ranks in the clergy. I also couldn't believe that Neal Shoemaker had received the property to start his business from the Mosque. The very tour we were on was all due to the generosity of the Imam and his community. 

Overall, the Harlem trip gave me a broader view of the muslim religion that I couldn't have taken out of a regular day in the classroom.