Phillips acknowledged he hadn’t previously known that the White House, a physical symbol of the United States, had been built partially via slave labor.
While Kendricks identified fear as a predominant emotion, Phillips experienced multiple moments of genuine surprise.
“A feeling that kept coming up for me was shock,” Phillips said. “As I went around the room and saw different things, I just kept feeling shocked as I was looking at the dates and thinking, ‘Oh, this was still sold in the 1980s, and this was still happening in the late ’60s.’
“I just thought we were so much further removed than what we are,” he added.
Among the artifacts that especially impacted Phillips was a tube of “Darkie” toothpaste (which continued to be sold in China under the discriminatory name until 1989) and a package of cocktail swizzle sticks designed as derogatory caricatures that mocked Black women’s bodies.
While pieces of the exhibit certainly are difficult to view and accept as reality, Phillips encouraged everyone to visit the gallery.
“I think when you look at American history, you have to look at it wholistically,” he said. “And it’s ignorant to exclude any parts of that, whether it be great things or not-so-great things that [occurred] in forming the country [we live in] today. Black history is a part of American history.”
TESTIFY is presented by Page and his daughter Georgi Page-Smith, who also participated in the tours and elaborated on specific pieces.
Georgi was moved by Kendricks’ and Phillips’ interactions with the exhibit.
“It’s been really inspiring to see that commitment and that civic-minded aspect. It gives me hope,” she said. “And the fact that they’re willing to actually come down here, you know? This is more than just being on the phone and doing an interview, or to post something on social media, which is awesome, but they took that extra step.
“In these days, it really is so easy to be active and to be engaged, no matter who you are, but it’s even that much more meaningful to physically bring yourself out into the community,” Georgi Page added.
Similar to the way football was only a portion of Alan Page’s life, Kendricks and Phillips are passionate about social justice and impacting the world past the gridiron. Kendricks was the 2020 Vikings Community Man of the Year and the team’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Nominee. Phillips was nominated for the NFL Man of the Year by the Bills in 2020 and 2021 and he was one of five leaguewide finalists for the 2020…
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