Black Death Riots – March 21, 1349

I'm a firm believer that history repeats itself. However, I also believe that a repeat can be avoided if we take the time, as human beings, to educate ourselves on the details of whatever devastating event took place. Sometimes, we need to learn from our mistakes.  Sometimes, we need to allow our hearts to hurt, to feel an overwhelming sense of empathy for individuals who suffered. We need, as a human race, to care about one another much more than we do. 

My job, on a daily basis, is to look up what significant events took place in history on a particular day. This past Friday, I was doing just that. I had spent an hour and a half, in my office, checking out what had happened on certain dates in March. Doing this not only gives me something to talk about, but also allows me to educate myself about past events. My Friday afternoon mood quickly shifted from anticipating the weekend to feeling extreme sadness and disdain for what human beings have done and continue to do.

March 21st marks the anniversary of The Black Death Riots.  Have you ever heard of this? I sure hadn't and, to be honest, I'm almost sorry that I have now. Viral Global News explains exactly what took place 665 years ago. Knowing the details doesn't make it any easier to read, nor does it make it any easier to digest. In a nutshell, it's one more instance of prejudice, coupled with heinous crimes against certain groups of people – people falsely and unfairly blamed for The Black Plague. VGN describes  how “the Jews of Europe were among the most targeted...famously accused of poisoning water wells. Other groups were also victims of this misdirected hysteria.”

We like to think we know about the history of the world. The atrocities that have been aimed at certain racial groups, religions, or sexes have brought millions to their knees, time and time again. I don't know why I found myself surprised to learn of, yet another event I've never heard of, but I was. I sat, shaking my head at the computer screen, stomach knotting, eyes welling up with tears, sadness taking me over, but I continued to read. I'm not sorry that I now know about what happened 665 years ago, but I won't forget that it happened. The type of hatred that has been displayed by others sparks something deep within me that I have rarely felt before. It angers and saddens me to the depths of my core. Knowledge is power, ignorance is definitely bliss, but walking around oblivious to what has happened in the past or to what is going on now benefits no one.