The abolishment of slavery in 1865 has been glorified by the U.S. education system. The white man’s narrative of how slavery impacted this country neglects the perspectives and experiences of slaves themselves. Many have argued that black women shared a similar experience with white women during slavery because they dealt with the same patriarchal oppression. However, it is important to note that enslaved women actually had more in common with enslaved men than they did with white women. This page will further discuss the array of experiences that black men and black women were subjected to as slaves, the differences in gender experiences between white women and enslaved women, and the ways in which black women have resisted and continue to resist slavery today.

One of the first steps that should be taken in order to repair the harm of U.S. slavery is to rewrite all of the history books that discuss the beginning, middle, and end of slavery. This is important to address this because the stories have been written from only one perspective, and it greatly hinders the understanding of how slavery impacted the Black community, especially after it was abolished.

I have always had a passion for homes which is why I knew I wanted to go into real estate. As a white woman in America, I acknowledge that my skin color has granted me the security of a safe neighborhood, and a roof over my head. Unfortunately, growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area exposed me to the harsh realities that exist among historically redlined neighborhoods. I believe that the National Association of Realtors should take accountability for their part in housing discrimination, and more importantly, mortgage lenders and banks should be brainstorming ways to compensate for the decades of financial distress. The way that I plan to personally pay reparations through my job in real estate is to put aside a certain percentage of my commission to go towards the down payments of properties that black families are looking to buy. In addition, I want to work with lenders to create special down payment assistance programs centered only towards black families. These are simply my methods of paying reparations. However, it is important that America doesn’t just talk about ways they will pay reparations, but instead, demonstrate that they are actively taking actions to repair the destruction that slavery caused to the Black community.