Lomibao, Katalina

The first captured Africans were brought to North America during the year 1619. These enslaved people were dehumanized, abused, and forced to do tasks for American-Europeans for hundreds of years. Black people were seen as lesser than white people, and it was not until the 13th Amendment was passed that completely abolished slavery in the United States. Unfortunately, however, racism in the United States still stands today. Through great research, this essay discuss examples of how enslaved black men and women were treated, as well as their differences, how black women’s oppression was different than white women’s, how the history of slavery impacts Black communities today, and how Black women today continue to resist anti-Black racism.

"13th Amendment" by EpicTop10.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0

When Africans were captured and brought back to North America, both black men and black women shared experiences of slavery. In her book Women, Race & Class, Angela Davis, a political activist, author, and professor, tells her audience that both black men and women were treated equally as slaves. Just like the enslaved men, enslaved women had to do physical work in plantation fields, even when they were pregnant, and were given physical punishments. Black women also had different experiences during slavery as well. Davis writes that black women were often treated differently than the men, “for they were victims of sexual abuse and other barborous mistreatment that could only be inflicted on women” (9). She also adds that women were dehumanized by white people and were seen as breeders rather than mothers, so their children were sold away when they were born.

"Angela Davis, painted portrait IMG_6929004" by Abode of Chaos is licensed under CC BY 2.0
"Harriet Jacobs" by elycefeliz is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

According to the Miriam-Webster dictionary, the word “antebellum” is defined as “existing before a war”. More commonly, this term was used before the American Civil War started. Black women had a different experience of oppression than white women in antebellum America during this time because they were seen as inferior to white people in general. White women in America did not have many rights, such as not having the right to vote, being able to receive higher education, and they were not allowed to work professional occupations. Black women, on the other hand, had less rights than white women. To name a few examples, Black women received a lower education than white women, they were not allowed to learn how to read or write, they had set curfews, and were not allowed to live with their families (Week 9 Slide 6). It might have been difficult for black women and white women to see each other as allies because as it was stated earlier, white women saw themselves as superior compared to enslaved black people. Additionally, the documentary Race: The Power of an Illusion, informed that Thomas Jefferson attempted to make this claim scientific by having it researched by actual scientists.

"Slave shackles and branding iron" by quinet is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Although times changed over the years, the system of slavery still impacts the Black communities in the United States. In the second episode called “The Economy Slavery Built” from the New York Times’ 1619 Project podcast, the host, Nikole Hannah-Jones, shares that a numerous amount of Black Americans today experience getting pushed to pay more expensive mortgages as customers, having their employers overwork them, and getting injured at their workplaces. Since the source of income in the United States during the 1700s through the 1800s was the enslaved workforce, the U.S. wealth depends on its income by hanging onto the ideas of racism.

Currently, many Black women work hard to continue to resist anti-Black racism in the United States. The National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is an organization where their goal is to “raise the labor standards for domestic workers”. On the website, there is a page called “Unbossed Agenda” by the We Dream in Black’s organization, whose objective is “to give power back to the visions of Black domestic workers”. This includes both American citizens and immigrants and people of multiple gender identities and sexualities. In order to help Black women who are domestic workers, We Dream in Black wrote a step-by-step plan of how they plan to achieve their goals. They plan to do this by emphasizing the importance of labor rights, having access to professional wages, and having enforced civil rights protections. With these motives, these associations can continue to resist anti-Black racism while educating others.

"Haitian Domestic Work" by Alex E. Proimos is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Reparations

In order to repair the the harm from the United States slavery, I think it would require everyone to educate themselves of what Black people had to go through as slaves. It is also important to learn from them as well and execute the ways they suggest we are able to repair the actions our ancestors have done. Due to the pandemic, we are unable to meet with others to keep the virus to a minimum. However, there are many effective and safe ways we can spread awareness in order to educate ourselves and others.

What We Can Do

First, we can share informative posts on our social media accounts by posting them as actual posts, sharing them through private messages, or posting them to your story highlights. Another way is to look up keywords on social media apps like TikTok or Twitter to find information regarding the history of the enslavement in the United States, as well as different actions we can take to help resist racism. Along with this, we can research on Google or Instagram different podcasts, blogs, or essays regarding these topics. By taking a bit of time out of our day, we can educate ourselves and others around us about the U.S. slavery.

"Automotive Social Media Marketing" by socialautomotive is licensed under CC BY 2.0

"Daniel Boone Trail Highway Marker" by dmott9 is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Personal Reparations

One of my many, many great-grandfathers is Daniel Boone, an American frontiersman, pioneer, and explorer from the 1700s. One thing I learned by researching is that he was a slave owner, and owned a total of seven slaves. This was something I did not know until recently and it breaks my heart to think that one of my ancestors did this. For my personal role in reparations, I would like to take a DNA test and find out more about my ancestry and hopefully find more relatives that I could contact. I would also like to find out who the enslaved Black men and women were, and hopefully find their descendants and apologize on behalf of my great grandfather. I would ask them how I could make my reparations for not only them, but the rest of the Black community in the United States as well. This is something I hope to do and even encourage my relatives to do in order to repair the harm my ancestors have caused.

Works Cited

“Antebellum.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antebellum.
Davis, Angela Y. “1. The Legacy of Slavery: Standards for a New Womanhood.” Women, Race & Class, Random House, 1981, pp. 9–10.
Hannah-Jones, Nikola, host. "The Economy Slavery Built." The 1619 Project, The New York Times, 30 Aug. 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/30/podcasts/1619-slavery-cotton-capitalism.html
“Raising Standards: National Domestic Workers Alliance.” Raising Standards | National Domestic Workers Alliance, www.domesticworkers.org/raising-standards.
“The Story We Tell: Race--The Power of an Illusion.”
“Unbossed: We Dream in Black's Directive for Black Domestic Workers.” National Domestic Workers Alliance, 8 Sept. 2020, ndwa2020.domesticworkers.org/unbossed/.

Page updated

Report abuse