My Humble Abode: 389 Dillard

I arrived in Charlottesville by train from New York (technically, a connecting bus brought me from Washington D.C. to Charlottesville, but it was all Amtrak).

Took a taxi from the station to Dillard. A single room had been already been assigned to me. And whats the first thing I notice while climbing up the stairs to me room? A sign (see right) that states:

"Graveyard Site: This area contains unmarked graves believed to be those of slaves of the Maury Family, owners of Piedmont in the Nineteenth Century".

Whoa!!! :-o

There aren't any conspicous graves in the woodland. The official version says that there are "faint depressions" in some places (I haven't gone and checked). Nevertheless, what reaction is poor Nirvana Bhai supposed to have when he sees such a sign right opposite his room? I guess most of all, I was intrigued. Intrigued by the fact that the spot I was standing on was a part of history. I was moderately freaked too - but when you think about it - what inhabited land doesen't contain a grave or two?

Having grown up in India I was never taught (and therefore know very little) about the details of slave trade and how it formed an integral part of american society in the 18th/19th century. What I do see is the fact that America continues to be a deeply segregated society. Of course, the US is not the only society in which segregation exists. Changing the law is certainly the first step, but is it sufficient? Will the course of time erase the scars left by history?

Perhaps racism is in-built into all of us? Perhaps there is an evolutionary basis for it? Pop-science books like Blink talk about this. I've also come across some papers by famous political scientist Bob Axelrod in the past that talk about how even the slightest amount of bias (specifically, preference for those who look like ourself) can lead to ghetto-isation. Does this mean integrated societies (like the Carribean?) will always be the exception rather than the rule?

Nirvana bhai does not have the answers. He only has qustions. But he does think this - recognising, understanding & accepting our cognitive limitations could help us in overcoming them.

Hmmm....wonder what habbu-habbu is up to right now...