by Sonja Dupree

Created on: July 30, 2008   Last Updated: August 03, 2008

I can judge by some of the insensitive comments that have been made in reference to the apology issued by the government concerning slavery, that there is a real misunderstanding about the negative impact that slavery continues to have on later generations who may not have experienced racism to the degree of their grandparents but still have been affected by its poisonous venom that was designed to rip one mental identity of self from the soul of a man or woman. We are an accumulation of our life experiences and we can traced back in our history how fatal self images can indeed linger on and with each and every subsequent generation, it must be continually updated and refined for slavery and the Jim Crow laws did an incredible damage on the African American that even in this present generation symptoms are still surfacing in some form or degree.

I am a woman of African American and Native American descent so I have a very interesting perspective on America. My mother's grandfather was a slave and was sold to a white family as a very small child. He knew nothing of his original family for he was bought over here on a boat. The white family gave him their last name as the custom was in those days was to identify the "property" with the owner. He finally was set free as an old man and the first thing he did was changed his name.

I was told of horror stories as to how African American were piled up in boats that were not fit for human beings and many died on their journey to America. There were stories about little girls as young as five years of age that white men would brutally rape on the boat. It was not considered a crime to rape "property." I was told how white slave-owners separated children from their mother and the mother would watch helplessly as her babies were auctioned off like cattle. My family history does not go beyond my great grandfather for he had no family so our family tree is quite limited ...we can only go back as far as him for he was separated from his mother and siblings as a young boy. I have stories to tell that would make you weep if you had a heart and I have not even touched on the stories about my paternal grandfather who was of Native American descent.

There was a great injustice that has been done to the African American and the Native American. It needs to be acknowledged and appreciated for its gives roots to a lot of the problems that we see in the inner cities across America. Please do not tell me to simply get over my history for I will not! My history defines my present. The blood of both of my people flow through my veins and represent who I am. Please understand that you too are an accumulation of YOUR life experiences and if you inherited any money or any property from your grandparents or great grandparents..take note that the blood of African Americans help build that nest egg and YOU did benefit from slavery and Jim Crow laws for everyone of the descendants of either group .....has been impacted one way or another.

I will also note that there were good white people I was told by my family that fought against injustices and put their lives on the line side by side the African American slaves and aid in the process of many finding freedom and I bring this full circle to state that we all belong to this unique thing called the human race and our blood bleeds red and I long for the day to come when we can at least appreciate the journey of others and how we either benefited or was tremendously disenfranchised by the ideas of men who thought that standing on the shoulders of his fellow man gave him height and stature and until all men are recognized as equal ....all are inferior to the higher call on each one life independent of skin tone.

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