Bridging The Divide: The Roots of Racism

HISTORY IS ONE OF COMPETINGNARRATIVES ONE THING THAT ITHINK PEOPLE DON'T RECOGNIZEABOUT THISCOUNTRY IS AFTER SLAVERY ENDEDTHIS COUNTRY BOUGHT INTO ANIDEA ABOUT SLAVERY THAT WASCRAFTED BY SLAVE TRADEHOLDERS." THE SUMMER OF 1619WAS ETCHED IN AMERICAN HISTORYBOOKS AS THE FIRSTRECORDED ARRIVAL OF ENSLAVEDAFRICANS IN WHAT IS THE UNITEDSTATES TODAY.BUT, THAT JOURNEY WAS ONLY ATURNING POINT IN TWO AND HALFCENTURIES OF SLAVERY IN NORTHAMERICA THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADEBEGAN LONGBEFORE THAT IN EUROPEANCOLONIES.DR.TYLER D.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "MOST PEOPLESUGGEST THAT THE CODIFICATIONOF RACISM IN THE UNITED STATESBEGINS IN THE LATE 17TH CENTURYAND IS FIRMLY GROUNDED BY THEBEGINNING OF THE 1700'S"HISTORY TELLS US THAT IN LATEAUGUST OF 1619 AFRICANS WEREKIDNAPPED FROM THEIR VILLAGESIN WHAT IS PRESENT DAY ANGOLA.TAKEN BY PORTUGUESE SLAVETRADERS AND FORCED ONTO A SHIPBOUND FOR WHAT EUROPEANS CALLED"THE NEW WORLD" -- ONTO THESHORES OF JAMESTOWN VIRGINIA.IT WAS THERE A SHIP KNOWN ASTHE WHITE LION BROUGHT '20AND ODD NEGROES'ASHORE AND THEN SOLD THEM FORFOOD.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "WHAT MAKESTHE BONDAGE UNIQUE IN THEAMERICAS IS THAT IT WASDETERMINED ONLY PEOPLE OFAFRICAN DESCENT WERE INENSLAVED SO WHATEVER SUFFERINGFROM THE IRISH THE ITALIANS ORANY OTHER WHITE ETHNIC GROUPSSUFFERED IN THIS COUNTRY IT WASNOTHING COMPARED TO THE FACTTHAT ONLY THE ENSLAVABLE PEOPLEWERE DETERMINED TO BE BLACK."INSIDE THE SLAVE SHIPS REVEALEDAN UGLY TRUTH -- RIGGED BYINHUMANECONDITIONS -- CAPTIVES WERESTRIPPED NAKED, BEATEN ANDBOUND BY SHACKLES.EXPERTS SAY FROM 1501 TO 1867MORE THAN 12 MILLION AFRICANSWERE CAPTURED, RIPPED FROMTHEIR FAMILIES, SOLD ANDTRANSPORTED TO AMERICA.MANY AFRICANS DIED ON THEVOYAGE FROM MALNUTRITION ANDDISEASE.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANOF SLAVERY WERE BRUTAL.BLACKS WERE PROHIBITED TOAND OFTEN BEATEN WITH WHIPS,PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "RECENTLY HBOCANCELLED GONE WITH THE WINDMOVIE WAS SO POPULAR IN IT'SHAY DAY BECAUSE THAT WAS THENARRATIVE THAT MADE WHITEPEOPLE SO COMFORTABLE.THEMEMORIES OF FORMER SLAVEHOLDERS AND THE PUBLICATIONSTHAT THEY RELEASED ALL TALKEDABOUT HOW BININE SLAVERY WASHOW FRIENDLY WHITE SOUTHERNERSWERE WITH BLACK SOUTHERNS ANDBLACK SLAVES LOVED THEIR MASTERFOR A VERY LONG TIME THAT WASTHE NARRATIVE." WITH CASHCROPS OF TOBACCO, COTTON ANDSUGAR, SOUTHERN STATES BECAME ALUCRATIVE BUSINESS IN THE 17THAND 18TH CENTURY.BLACK SLAVES WERE THEIR FUEL.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "THERE WAS ANINTENTIONABLEDISTINCTION BETWEEN WHAT THEYCALLED PRIVILEGE SLAVES AGAINSTWHO WERE THOSE IN THE FIELDSAND COMPLEXION CAME INTO PLAYAS WELL." (NAT SOUND - MALCOM XSPEECH) BLACK STEREOTYPESSTEM FROM THE DAYS OF SLAVERYAND CONTINUE TO PLAY ASIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SHAPINGATTITUDES TOWARD BLACK MEN ANDWOMEN TODAY.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "THERE WASTHIS ASSOCIATION IN THE 18THCENTURY BETWEEN APES AND BLACKPEOPLE THAT EVEN THE FOUNDINGFATHER OF THE COUNTRY THOMASJEFFERSON, A SLAVE OWNERHIMSELF AND AN ABUSER OFENSLAVED PEOPLE WROTE IN HISNOTES AS AN AUTHORITATIVESOURCE.SO THESE ARE VERY DEEP ROOTSTHAT THE TOP OFFICIALS IN THEU-S GOVERNMENT BOUGHT INTO.""WHAT WE ARE FINDING IN THEPERCEIVED THREATS OF BLACK MENIS THAT THIS STARTS VERY EARLY.IF YOU READ THE JOURNALS OFSLAVE TRADERS FROM EUROPE WHOWENT INTO WESTERN AFRICA THEWAY THEY DESCRIBED THEIR BODIESAND THIS PERCEIVED SEXUALPROWLEST OF BLACK MEN WHICH ISATTACHED TO THAT ANIMALIZATION.THIS IDEA THAT THEY WEREUNRESTRAINED IN THEIRAPPETITES." BY THE 1830S TO THE1860S -- THE SHACKLES ON BLACKLIVES STARTED TO RUST...THE MOVEMENT TO ABOLISH SLAVERYIN AMERICA WAS HEARD.IT WAS ON JUNE 19TH 1865 THATUNION SOLDIERS LANDED IN TEXASWITH WORD THAT THE WAR HADENDED AND THE ENSLAVED WERE NOWFREE -- TWO AND HALF YEARSAFTERPRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLNSIGNED THE EMANCIPATIONPROCLAMATION.AND AS SLAVERY AND THE CIVILWAR ENDED -- A PROMISE WASMADE BY THE U-SGOVERNMENT.THE PHRASE "FORTY ACRES AND AMULE"WAS MEANT TO REDISTRIBUTE LANDTO BLACKS WHO HAD SUFFEREDECONOMICALLY, MENTALLY, ANDPHYSICALLY THROUGH SLAVERY.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "THE THINGABOUT THE 40 ACRES AND A MULEIS ONE THING THAT ISMISUNDERSTOOD IS THAT SOMEPEOPLE DID GET IT AND THEN ITWAS TAKEN AWAY SO IT WASANOTHER SERIES OF FALSEPROMISES THAT THE US GOVERNMENTHAS PROPOSED GIVEN A LITTLE BITAND THEY'VE ALWAYS DONE THISUNDER THE COMPLAINTS UNDERWHITE SOCIETY." (NAT) "THEFOURTH OF JULY IS YOURS, NOTMINE, YOU MAY REJOICE, I MUSTMOURN." ALICIA OUTRO: THEFAILED PROMISE BY THE U-SGOVERNMENT WAS THE BEGINNING OFA NEW ERA IN HISTORY.IN PART TWO OF UNDERSTANDINGTHE OPPRESSED AND RACISM WE