It is the end of Black history month, February 29, 2004 here in
Philadelphia. As part of this celebration, at the Independent visitor
center, was a Black history showcase displaying artifacts of the slave
era by local Pennsylvanians.

On a unrelated venue on the same topic, many of these artifacts can
be found at the The Black Holocaust Exhibit in Atlanta, Georgia. The
curator of this exhibit, Velma Mia Thomas, manages the Shrine of
the Black Madonna book store in in Atlanta. Until that day,
when you get there, you can have a keepsake of this very important
piece history that educates the entire family.

Velma Mia Thomas manager of this shrine has published  this
wonderful book on slave artifacts  entitled  Lest We Forget: The
Passage from Africa to Slavery and Emancipation. A Three
Dimensional Interactive Book with Photographs and Documents from
the Black Holocaust Exhibit that will leave you breathless.

This book copyrighted 1997 is a piece of fine work. A 32 page, 3-
dimensional work from the Black Holocaust  Exhibit. The moment I
opened this book I was quite impressed with the art work and the
surreal dept of the of the images. This Archive of a book is adorned
with pictures of artifacts and three-dimensional renderings, with
descriptions of these instruments of the slave era, and historic
context. In these pages you'll find surreal  renditions of:

• An authentic receipt for a slave woman named Francis.
• A three-dimensional rendering of a slave ship --a very sobering
   3-D rendition.
• A deed of emancipation carried by a freed slave (in a three
  dimensional rendering of a tobacco tin of the period). And so
  much more.