In addition to the amazing museum that Henry Ford created, he also made a living history museum called Greenfield Village. It’s like so many we have been to, with old buildings moved onto the site. This one is so much better though, because they use your (rather expensive) admission fees to pay employees to stand in *every* house and dispense information. Also, actors are hired to perform throughout the day. 

Deon and the 3 oldest first toured the factory. They didn’t really allow pictures, so this is all I’ve got for you. 

The little boys and I headed over to the greenfield village. We rode the steam train and played at the park while we waited for them. 

   
    
We also watched a slave narrative performance. This got me thinking. How do black people feel about this? We celebrate the end of slavery (as we should), but what about now? What about the 100 years of legal Jim Crow, and what about the 50 subsequent years of “progress” (or not)? Is there a dissatisfaction at the end of the performance? Like the ending of a sit-com, where everything is tied up neatly in a bow at the end? Also, have many black people researched their ancestry? I know it won’t usually go back as far as their roots in Africa, but can they trace their lines back to freedom? Do all African-Americans descend from slaves? Do they have records of their stories? How do they feel about those stories? Are they inspiring? Discouraging? It feels awkward to ask these questions, but I feel value in the answers, and in the asking.