Video & Photos: The Obamas' Emotional Trip To Former Slaving Port In Senegal

Big step: Mrs Obama joined him at the poignant doorway, and he said that the visit helped remind them of the importance of protecting civil rights

President Barack Obama has spent the afternoon touring a Senegalese island where Africans were shipped across the Atlantic into slavery and he called the visit a 'very powerful moment.' Obama says visiting Goree Island Thursday with his family helps them fully appreciate the magnitude of the slave trade. They toured the museum at the Maison des Esclaves where slaves were gathered before going through the 'Door of No Return' and being forced onto ships bound for North America. Obama also said that, as an African American and an African-American president, the trip gaves him even greater motivation to stand up for human rights around the world, and the visit came just hours after he clashed with his Senegalese hosts over gay rights. He said the island is a reminder of what happens when civil rights are not protected.
How touching! I hope to visit this place with my family as well! Continue to see the video and more pictures ...