Walking barefoot has quite often been seen as a prerequisite to walking on holy ground.
We see that during the second congress of the Niagara Movement at Harpers Ferry in 1906.
I need to give a little background here. In the early 1900s blacks were fighting for racial equality. There were competing thoughts on how to go about it. On one end was Booker T. Washington, who was seen as an accommodationist. His style was to work more behind the scenes for change. More fiery was W.E.B. DuBois, who called for much more direct action.
One of the things that W.E.B. DuBois did was form The Niagara Movement. Their second meeting took place at Storer College in Harper’s Ferry, the site of John Brown’s raid that ended in Brown’s capture and hanging.
During that meeting they declared “John Brown’s Day” in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of his birth and the fiftieth anniversary of the battle at Osawatomie, Kansas. (No, the dates weren’t exact, but they were close enough for their purposes and remembrance.)
As part of that celebration of John Brown the 100 or so participants conducted a pilgrimage to John Brown’s Fort, an old fire-engine house that John Brown had converted for defensive purposes. It had recently been rebuilt.
Here’s what the informational marker at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park says
Black scholar Dr. Benjamin Quarles described their arrival: “As they neared their destination they formed a procession, single file, led by Owen M. Waller, a physicial from Brooklyn. Defying stone and stubble, Waller took off his shoes and socks and walked barefoot as if treading on holy ground.” Other members followed suit and together they walked barefoot to the fort. As they circled the fort they sang verses of John Brown’s Body and The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Here’s the marker.
[Click for larger, readable version.]
The ground was already sanctified. But by going barefoot they helped provide the recognition of that sanctification.
In fact, that barefoot pilgrimage is even cited when the Park Service justifies one of its regulations.
No picnicking is allowed at Harpers Ferry. The Park Service’s reason is that the respectful environment of the park is simply not compatible with recreational activities. It is for the contemplation of the events that occurred there.
And this is what it says in their Superintendent’s Compendium:
In 1895 historic John Brown’s Fort was rebuilt on the Murphy Farm. In subsequent years the site was visited by several prominent groups such as the 1896 Colored Women’s League and the 1906 Niagara Movement, forerunners of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. During the Niagara Movement pilgrimage participants removed their shoes and socks before treading on what they believe to be the hallowed ground of John Brown’s Fort. The values associated with this cultural landscape are still strong today making most recreation activities at the site inappropriate.
That barefoot pilgrimage is part of the recognition of the hallowedness of the site.
I think it would behoove us all to visit Harpers Ferry, barefoot, for us to absorb that same recognition of its hallowedness.
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