Comments on: Dear CNN: We’ll Show You Our Slave Roots If You Show Us Yours

By: First Guns

First Guns — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:07:50 +0000

That is a great point Jemima. Everyone has a slave past, probably. Certainly anyone living in the US today, regardless of ethnicity or when you got here, is connected to slavery just by virtue of being part of the American economy and its slave history, and being subject to a government that was created by slave owners.

By: Jemima

Jemima — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:05:19 +0000

Also, just because a white person’s family immigrated to the US after the abolition of slavery it doesn’t mean their ancestors had nothing to do with it where they emigrated from. The US isn’t the only nation where people kept slaves, and vast numbers of people from many different nations may not have had plantations with slaves, but they sure as hell took part in the trade. My own country, Denmark, is a pretty accurate example of that. We’re a tiny country, no huge plantations, so no need for slaves, however, having always had a large merchant fleet it’s only logical that Danish merchantmen would be shipping slaves from “Christiansburg” on the Gold Coast (former Danish colony) to the Caribbean etc.

Not exactly proud history, that, so just because US-ians don’t feel connected to slavery in the US, it certainly doesn’t remove them from the slavery in the rest of the world. I’m not from the US, in fact I’ve never so much as been there, and yet the above bit of history is also part of MY history.

By: Rhiannon

Rhiannon — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:26:41 +0000

Even though my ancestor’s enslaved my ancestor’s numerous times, I wouldn’t think that would excuse me from the racism that exists today in America. It exists, it’s a problem and it’s up to everyone to work to change that.

The oppression of “others” has influenced history since before the written word. It’s simply illogical to ignore that and pretend that it has no bearing on the present. The past predicates the present, there’s no getting around that no matter who your ancestor’s are.

By: Ruchama

Ruchama — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:51:52 +0000

I’m trying to remember if the Bush family plantation was *visited* during his time in office…

What plantation?

By: First Guns

First Guns — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:30:51 +0000

Indeed it is! Thank you, Danny, will fix.

By: Danny

Danny — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:59:56 +0000

Ruchama’s last line is so true. I am so tired of white people who like to claim they don’t need to acknowledge racism against blacks because their ancestors immigrated after slavery.
Therefore, in their weird world, they don’t have to acknowledge white privilege, and since they are free of white privilege, blacks are not oppressed…
Maybe its just my experience but such people don’t actually claim that blacks are not oppressed just that their ancestors had nothing to do with. Though you totally are right that pointing out that they had nothing to do with it does not excuse them their silencing and ignoring.

(Tiny nitpick, its a South Carolina plantation not a North Carolina one.)

By: marjorie

marjorie — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:10:19 +0000

great post.

i see this piece as indicative of the vile celebrification (new word?) of our culture. as you said, the piece was presented almost as a perky penelope-cruz-shows-us-HER-spain story. when the media turn every news story into a personality-driven ooo-celebrities-are-speshal piece, they miss an opportunity to educate and inform in a meaningful way.

and yes, even us northerners and new immigrants need to take responsibility for slavery. that history is absolutely part of what it is to be american.

By: Azalea

Azalea — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:31:20 +0000

I’m trying to remember if the Bush family plantation was *visited* during his time in office…

By: Kristen from MA

Kristen from MA — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:38:53 +0000

“And unlike the CNN crew, the slaves were not free to leave.”

Wow. Just wow.

By: Marcy Webb

Marcy Webb — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:56:46 +0000

You make a good point. I didn’t watch the segment because, quite frankly, the story isn’t new. However, a different perspective, such as the one you propose, may have made the segment more intriguing from a historical perspective. Good post. :)