Act Initiative and Gaol

     Day three in Belfast started at the Act Now Initiative. We were given a very in-depth history of the troubles, going back to the origins of the matter. However, this talk was given from the point of view of a loyalist, so we got a fairly loyalist heavy perspective. I'm glad we did because allowed me to really see where loyalists are coming from. He then explained the purpose of Act Now, which is to create a peaceful community between people of all beliefs. After his speech, we explored prepared rooms that allowed us to see different aspects of the troubles. One room replicated the bedroom of someone imprisoned because of their actions during the troubles. In my opinion, the most impactful room contained personal accounts of those that had participated in murder during the troubles. The accounts put you in the perspective of young men trying to defend their way of living and their families. It was very impactful. We also saw a room that showed many of the community rebuilding activities that they lead. When we had arrived, we learned that they were hosting a menopause workshop for the community. When we left, we noticed a community garden started by Act Now. There were many other examples of their impact as we walked down the street as well, seeing their signs on buildings and streets. After that, we stopped at a cemetery where many families were buried together. It was a bit of a strange area for a cemetery, but that seemed to be a common theme for the area. Things seemed so regular and then there was a hard reminder of reality and the past that was not a very distant past. We also made a few stops in local shops and the library, which was gorgeous.

Afterward, we visited Crumlin Road Gaol, which held many prisoners during the troubles. The prison became very controversial because of its awful conditions all the way through the 1990s. Many protests were made by the prisoners while they were held there. People from all sides of the troubles were subject to dehumanizing conditions for years. It was very interesting but very sad.