Black History...Everyday
Feb is 1 of my favorite times of the year...becos it's black history month and I can go to all the black events, festivals, watch all the special documentaries and simply drink in the history.
I love history, black history that is. I caught "Unchained Memories: Readings from the slave narratives" yesterday on HBO...it was moving. It featured african-american actors reading and sort of 'performing' the stories of slaves. The brutality of slavery, the few beautiful memories, the pain and the hope all brought to life in a most vivid picture. It was beautiful and painful to watch.
The 12hr 6-7day work, the mud quarters and straw beds, the 1 pair of shoes for a year, the forced mating and reproduction of children for more workers, the 300-pound minimum for a total of cotton picked in 1day, the auctions where they were sold like cattle, the rape of young women, the mutilation and death for disobedience, severe beatings for tryn to learn to read/write....need i go on?
We can't and must never forget these people, and their struggle cos as 1 slave narrated, she had known nuthin but work, work and work all her life; never knew what it was like to rest, and she was 129 yrs old. It makes me so appreciative of what we have today, even though its not perfect. Since June 4th 1865 and the emancipation proclamation, we've moved in a positive direction but i have doubts. I can't help but feel racism is deeply engrained in america and only an act of God can surgically remove it. To all my Nubians, happy black history month...but make black history everyday.
I love history, black history that is. I caught "Unchained Memories: Readings from the slave narratives" yesterday on HBO...it was moving. It featured african-american actors reading and sort of 'performing' the stories of slaves. The brutality of slavery, the few beautiful memories, the pain and the hope all brought to life in a most vivid picture. It was beautiful and painful to watch.
The 12hr 6-7day work, the mud quarters and straw beds, the 1 pair of shoes for a year, the forced mating and reproduction of children for more workers, the 300-pound minimum for a total of cotton picked in 1day, the auctions where they were sold like cattle, the rape of young women, the mutilation and death for disobedience, severe beatings for tryn to learn to read/write....need i go on?
We can't and must never forget these people, and their struggle cos as 1 slave narrated, she had known nuthin but work, work and work all her life; never knew what it was like to rest, and she was 129 yrs old. It makes me so appreciative of what we have today, even though its not perfect. Since June 4th 1865 and the emancipation proclamation, we've moved in a positive direction but i have doubts. I can't help but feel racism is deeply engrained in america and only an act of God can surgically remove it. To all my Nubians, happy black history month...but make black history everyday.
posted by Aima at 8:14 AM
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