"THE DOOR OF NO RETURN" MEANT JUST THAT...THE WAITING SLAVE SHIPS BEGAN THE LONG, ARDUOUS "MIDDLE PASSAGE" TO THE AMERICAS

The first thing one notices is the glare from the outside sun...through that sliver of a doorway. Perhaps the narrow iron gate jumps out at you. It matches the narrow doorway, of course.

Having been there, I clearly remember the thick walls and the stones beneath my shoes. Yes, I was wearing shoes...something slaves were forbidden to wear at that point. I reached down and felt the stones. They were somewhat cool and wet to the touch. They felt strange. I kept thinking that cliche: "If only these walls could talk." There was a grouping of flowers in a corner of the small, dark prison-like room. They reminded me of the flowers and mementos left at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.

A huge difference between the remembrances left at the Vietnam "Wall" and in what you're looking at here is the fact that at the Vietnam Memorial they are placed at the designated name of the lost loved one. There are no names at Elmina. The slaves were nameless, faceless, and without humaneness to the slave traders.

Thousands upon thousands of human beings were pushed through that narrow doorway. Most would make it to the Americas, only to be auctioned off to work forever in the plantations. It is a truly sad history that involved the Europeans and also the local Africans who bartered away their own people.

A placque above the entrance to the cells near the "Door of No Return" reads: "This is in everlasting memory of our anguished ancestors. May those who died rest in peace. May those who return find their roots. May humanity never again perpetrate such injustices against humanity. We the living vow to uphold this."