Alex Majunder will spend next few months as Middle Passage pilgrim
Although his ancestors were neither slaves nor masters, Alex Majumder '97.5 will spend the next several months retracing the steps of both through the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage, a journey along the eastern United States, the Caribbean, Brazil, West Africa and South Africa. It will retrace the journey of tens of millions of slaves, by foot and by boat, reversing the direction of the Middle Passage. A parallel branch of this pilgrimage will retrace the European origins of the trans-Atlantic slave system through England, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal.
Majumder stumbled upon the pilgrimage through his work as a student researcher in Brown's Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America (CSREA). He was helping coordinate a spring seminar related to the release of the film "Amistad" and, in his search for graphics relating to slavery, came upon the Web site for the pilgrimage. The more he read about the trip and the more he found out from the organizers, the more he felt compelled to take part. "I felt like I had to do it. ... It's hard to explain. In a way I feel I will find out on the way," he says. "It's strange for me. Most people who are doing this are either black or white - and you can understand why, since slavery is intimately connected to their personal histories." Majumder's mother is Russian and his father is from India. He was born in Kharagpur, 60 miles southwest of Calcutta, and spent half of his life there before coming to the United States, where his family settled in Jersey City, N.J
"For me, understanding the history of slavery is essential to understanding race relations today in America, regardless of your racial background," he says. "This pilgrimage is also a retracing for me, going back to the Old World. I grew up in India, and I'll travel there from South Africa, so I'm going home. It's a way I'm using this trip to explore my roots as well."
Like many of the hundreds of pilgrims from all over the United States and as far away as Japan and South America, Majumder is doing bits and pieces of the journey until he can raise enough funding to join the group for the entire trek. Anyone can join the 12-month pilgrimage at any point - for a day, a week or for as long as possible. Majumder took part in the opening ceremonies last May 30 and joined the group as they walked in Rhode Island in June. He has raised about a third of the $3,000 it takes to cover the costs of travel and immunization required to participate full time, and seeks donations from friends and interested individuals. Other Brown students participating in the pilgrimage are Angela Mooney '98 from Hutchinson, Kansas, and Majel Peters '00 of Mashpee, Mass., whose mother is joining her.
Comfortable shoes are a must, since the group walks 15 to 20 miles per day, six days a week. Along the way, the walkers receive meals and overnight accommodations from churches and community centers. Their first night in Providence, the participants slept at Trinity Methodist Church on Broad Street in South Providence. Historians give presentations in each city, educating the group about that area's role in the slave trade. Joanne Melish, a visiting assistant professor in Brown's history department, gave a talk about Rhode Island and New England's involvement in slavery, dispelling the myth that slavery was solely a Southern phenomenon.
Majumder is a bit nervous about the swing through Africa. "We may avoid the countries in Africa where there are conflicts and civil wars, such as in Liberia," he says. His parents were pleased when they found out that a registered nurse is part of the group, and administers all the necessary immunizations along the way.
Majumder plans to keep a journal of his experiences and perceptions while on the journey. Periodically, he'll send excerpts to the CSREA at the request of its director, Fayneese Miller, associate professor of education and faculty advisor for the University's newest concentration, ethnic studies. Majumder was among the first students to graduate with a degree in ethnic studies. He also earned a degree in psychology. "We hope to incorporate his writings in our classes on ethnic studies in the fall," says Miller. "We want to include a community service learning component to ethnic studies - significant service that connects with what you're doing in a course. Alex's journey is an example of what we hope our current students will do with what they're learning. Alex is taking his ethnic studies training out into the real world."
Majumder will also interview blacks and whites while he's in South Africa, which will assist Miller's current research of cross-racial friendships in post-apartheid South Africa. Miller sees Majumder as an ideal cross-cultural researcher. "Because of his own background, Alex has had to figure out how to navigate between cultures in order to survive. ...The center will support him as much as we can. If we don't encourage and support our students, then that's a problem. We should set the tone, we should set the standard. Plus, he's an ambassador for Brown as he goes on this walk."
Miller is also encouraged by Majumder's commitment to learning about the history of slavery. "It's important," she says. "I don't think you have to have ancestors involved in slavery. You just have to have some belief that you're connected to the various groups in the United States. I don't think any one group owns racial issues. ... One of the problems in this country is that not enough people have owned the issues of race. ... I think it's important for our young people to do this. If we're going to see any changes in race relations in the United States, it's going to come from our young people."