By:
Austin Broussard
The 1865 Emancipation Proclamation
set into action by President Abraham Lincoln was supposed to be the legislation
that represented the end of an error. Some question whether or not it was the
end of anything except the legality of physical slavery as we knew it to exist
in the plantation form in the United States. One may ask what would lead anyone
to doubt the concrete terms of freedom presented in the Emancipation document,
but that person, upon further review of the state of affairs in the U.S. since
1865, may have fewer questions and more opinion about how little has actually
changed.
Instead of a definite end to
slavery, America transitioned from conventional slavery to a stage of
indentured servitude, share-cropping if you will. In the eyes of the ruling
class, blacks in the south and all over these great 50 states were destined to
be a part of the underclass, it was simply up to law makers to figure out how. What
came about was a period in the Antebellum south where conditions did not
venture far away from those that had been provided for slaves since the 1400’s.
The following video discusses what that time in America looked like:
If you are to fast-forward from that time in
the late 19th century to today, it is hard not to make parallels
between demanded servitude then, and de facto servitude now. Factors such as a
lack of family structure, education, opportunity and community value have all
contributed to the debt (economic slavery), metaphorical mental genocide
(mental slavery), and prison industrial complex (physical slavery), the last of
which being the result of the interest in maintaining a disenfranchised
population of African-American men in the United States. The following video
speaks briefly to the idea of privatized prisons, which are in essence similar
to plantations:
If this post does nothing but make you
uncomfortable, it has done its job. If it makes you think it has served its
purpose. If you are even a bit ashamed for not having been aware or having
taken action against this situation in the beloved United States of America,
this blog post has fulfilled its duty to activate the mind. Think deeply,
whenever you can, but furthermore, act boldly and change the trajectory of our
people before things get worse. There is a duality that exists. Do not mistake
personal success for that of collective elevation. We are one.
Very profound statements in this post Broussard. You really touched on a lot of good points such as activating your mind and thinking deeply!
ReplyDeleteThis post definitely made me think and I agree with what you are saying about Black America and modern slavery. We went from being victims of forced bondage to modern day sharecroppers; primarily consumers, with little ownership or agency, and thus only token political power. Things won't change until we begin to repair the damage we do to ourselves, and manage and invest in our resources (dollars, sinew, and children) in a manner that requires respect and augments within our communities.
ReplyDeleteMr. Broussard, definitely inspirational. It really just reminds me of the Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. The duality that exists in American society is really unparalleled by any other society. The question really becomes that of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois, that of submission vs resistance. I don't think people do not see the parallels between slave days and now but I do think people struggle with knowing the truth and not resisting to sustain a future for their families and knowing the truth and resisting too for a sustainable future for their families.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Austin. I honestly believe that within the past 10-20 years, we have a society have not only progressed, but also regressed. Because of this regression, slavery, whether physical or mental, will always exist. With strong leadership, policy change, and a paradigm shift of African Americans, slavery can be for once and for all abolished and can be a thing in the past.
ReplyDeleteIn this day and age economic prowess is determined by the mind rather than the hand. That is why poverty has become the new tool to enslave black people. Poverty is not only an economic term but in some communities it has become a mind set. In our poorest communities like Chicago we become discouraged from attempting to become great by being prevented from quality education, adequate food,terrible housing, and forced to perceive differences among us that require violence to settle. It is in the poorest areas that drugs become the "way out" instead of school. If we train our people to think beyond petty differences and give up the game fostered upon them we will grow as a people. Lets not take our men from our homes and the family unit will be once again cherished. When more of our men go to prison than graduate from college where does our path truly lie, backwards or forwards? Bring the family back to the house, end the dire needs, educate ourselves and we will once again rise like we did in the 50-60's.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Daniel. I think slavery will always be around to a certain extinct physically or mentally. Slavery is definitely not completely over.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if slavery still exist in the sense of physically or mentally. However, I think African-Americans get caught up in certain group think that keeps them in the same mindset. Our communities on the other hands are stripped of its necessities but instead replaced by liquor stores and churches. If this trend keeps persisting our communities will never get better.
ReplyDeletevery thought provoking
ReplyDeleteLooking over this Blog made me think about the book " A New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander which speaks to the number of African Americans incarcerated in the US jail system. Although we have progressed as a people, we have not yet reached the point of success among our people. This passage forced me to think about the journey of our people from Africa to the America's and provided and inspirational message.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I believe that a lot of the information presented is true and relevant to our community and that we need to do something about de facto servitude that our people have bee forced into sooner than later.
ReplyDeleteThis post was extremely thought provoking. Great post.
ReplyDelete