Robben Island is more than an island. South Africa imprisoned Nelson Mandela here but they could not contain his spirit as people around the world joined to call for his freedom and an end to apartheid. It is a place that defines the cost of justice and serves as a beacon for hope.
Frank Sam’s Cabin is on Kootzaduka’a land, the tribe that encompasses Mono Lake. It is a story of endurance, both for the lake that faced depletion for Los Angeles taking its waters and for the People who struggled to maintain their tribal identity even as their land was taken. Even today they seek federal recognition.
We came for a virtual geocache at an old jail, a true hoosegow in every sense of the world. But we started to walk around to look at the town and soon were invited to see the old union hall and a beautiful mural depicting the 1983 strike. Of course there was also a collection of African art. Somehow it all fit together.
Wounded Knee. Very few places have both profound sorrow and a spirit of resistance. The massacre here changed things forever, but after the 1971 occupation things would never be the same. Its words continue to evoke struggle. Trump’s refusal to revoke the Medals of Honor awarded here shows the power of its place, and just how far we have to go as a nation to begin to understand what it means.
Many of us have cached at our parks and historical sites. Some, like a virtual at the Manzanar relocation camp, may be disturbing, but that is what makes it all the more important to experience. Presidential orders are forcing many parks to remove exhibits. Reclaiming history has never been so important. We have a duty to preserve it, for ourselves, for the things we have learned, and a woman named Kiyo.
Was Ed Watson an outlaw who had it coming? A story from the heat of the Everglades, mosquitoes and swamps, of outlaws in an area with little law. Belle Starr makes a cameo appearance, as well as a few ghosts.
Dobby’s Grave emerged as a spontaneous tribute to a fictional character who was real enough to be mourned. He became a symbol that went beyond the book or movie. JK Rowling needs to talk to Dobby about the importance of freedom and respect.
As a storm rolled in, we stopped at a cemetary in Kansas to think about the limits of Justice. Walter Scheck had been assumed to be guilty in an alleged murder-suicide. There was a rush to judgment with no inquest, yet things were not so simple. Years later his family learned of a deathbed confession.