Statues of black jockeys on the lawn,
reviled nowadays as racist, once were a symbol of the road to freedom for
African-American slaves.
Escaping slaves understood then that the jockey statue would
guide them to the Underground Railroad and to freedom.
The jockey, in a similarly secret way, pointed to safe houses
along the Underground Railroad.
"These statues were used as markers on
the Underground Railroad throughout the South into Canada," said
historian/author Charles Blockson, curator of the Afro-American Collection at
Temple University in Philadelphia. "Green ribbons were tied to the arms of
the statue to indicate safety; red ribbons meant to keep going."
Like so many things in history, original
meanings get changed to something quite different over time. Gay, for example,
once had nothing to do with sexual preference, but with having a happy time at
a ballroom dancing party.
The meaning of words is like a snowball
rolling down a mountain that changes its shape and impression by the time it
reaches the valley.
To read the full article, click on http://www.loudounhistory.org/history/underground-railroad-jockey-statues.htm
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