Avignon, France, May 8, 2023
During our “Black Expatriate Writes in France” course, I had students journal and reflect upon their travels. I decided to keep a journal as well, and to this point, I have done three entires. The first one in Avignon took me a few days, because of various things, but I finally finished it before we left the city. Over the next few posts, I plan to share with these entries with you. They are very scattered, but I hope you find them useful.
8 May 2023
Jes suis en Avignon. When we planned this trip, I had no idea we’d be arriving in France on the 78th anniversary of V.E. Day. I was expecting to see memorials and festivities, but I didn’t see much. Walking in the Rocher des Dames, I saw a monument with flags and pageantry to the French soldiers who fought during the world wars.
A little further on I saw a memorial to Jueifs Deportes Du Vueluse Vers les Camps Nazis d’Extermination Entre 1942 et 1944. The memorial contained a large number of individuals murdered during the Holocaust between 1942–1944.
