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Tom Gerdy shared a letter in the Race and Diversity group 1 months ago
When The History Of Slavery Hits You In The Heart
I am a building contractor in Central Virginia. During my fifty-plus years working in the construction industry, I have probably worked on close to a thousand projects. I have built, remodeled and renovated homes. My work includes new office buildings, new and renovated retail spaces, historic restorations, many restaurants, and three veterinarian clinics. I have renovated log homes and even added an addition onto a bus.
One reason I decided to follow a career in construction is the variety of projects out there. The nature of what I have a chance to work on challenges me in different ways every day. The one constant is constant change. The moving parts involve product, customers, technology, workforce, weather, and even locations. The goal on all our projects is to find the best combination of function, aesthetics and budget for our customers.
Another characteristic of the construction industry that attracted me was the huge and wildly diverse cast of characters I get to work around. Some of these projects take hundreds of sets of hands joining together to create something. It involves finding ways to work with people from all over the spectrum relative to construction skills, formal education, social skills, personal beliefs, political leanings, family backgrounds and financial status. We have to look past our different backgrounds and histories to create things that hopefully will last for generations. The beautiful piece of working with such a diverse group of people is that I never know what lessons I might learn from or about one of them at any moment. The key is to make sure you are paying attention because you never know not only what you might learn but also how you might be changed.
If I wasn’t paying attention, I might not know that one of the concrete truck drivers is an amazing gospel singer. If I wasn’t paying attention, I may never have learned one of my subcontractors is a minister. If I wasn’t paying attention, I may never have learned that one of our cabinetmakers is a really good bass player in a Grateful Dead tribute band. And if I wasn’t paying attention at an historic courthouse and museum renovation job we are doing, I would not have experienced one of the most powerful and moving moments of my life.
As I was accepting a delivery at this historic museum job, I shared a moment with a young black man probably in his mid-twenties that I will never forget. He was assisting the driver with the delivery when he noticed an artifact in the side yard of the museum. In the side yard of this museum there is a 16”x 16” x 24” high block of stone sticking out of the ground. A small sign identifies this stone as a Slave Auction Block. I can not wrap my head around the fact that slaves once stood on top of this stone as people bid to purchase them. I had seen this piece of pre-civil war history many times before, but little did I know that on the day of this delivery my view of the auction block would change dramatically.
Right before getting back on the truck, this young black man walked over to the auction block and bowed his head in prayer. I didn’t invade his space but I stood close by and bowed my head as well. As we stood there in silence for a minute that seemed like an eternity, I could only think what his prayer might be. I tried to picture what took place on that block. The reality of it made my heart sink. In these times of such racial strife and division, I wish more people could have shared that moment with me. As he raised his head and I raised mine, I simply said “Amen”. Nothing more was said. He just nodded and walked back to the truck.
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Wow! What a powerful moment and story. By writing about it, you allow us all to share that moment with both of you.
I played soccer growing up, and I do think being part of a team with many different characters and backgrounds opened my heart and mind to a world beyond my own – similar to what you described working in construction. It’s…read more
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