by Denise Strother

Created on: March 18, 2009

Most White Americans believe that slavery is an ugly part of our country's past that should neither be forgotten nor dwelt on. They have never owned slaves or known a slave and neither did anyone in their family for many generations, if ever. How could something that happened so long ago still have an effect on society today? We have an African American president, his popularity rating is high, and he is a shining example to the world of just how far this nation has come. However, the effects of slavery and racism are far reaching and far from over.

Just recently one newspaper printed a cartoon of a watermelon patch in front of the White House and another showed police shooting a monkey and questioning the Presidents' stimulus plan. Confederate flags still wave proudly in the South. The largest one in the country is on I-75 in Florida and I pass it everyday on my way to work. Blacks still feel they are not being given the same opportunities as Whites, although many Whites would disagree. Quite a few of these feelings and attitudes can be traced directly back to slavery.

The founding fathers of this nation were not exactly the rainbow coalition. They were all Southern men and most were slave owners. The United States is not the only nation to have participated in a slave system, however it is the only slave based nation to believe and teach that slaves were not of the human species. Other nations may have taken away their freedom but only America proclaimed Black slaves to be inhuman. A Psychiatrist would have a field day diagnosing the harm done to a child whose very humanity was taken away. The debates on how and if the problem could be fixed would be endless. These damaged children grew up to be adults, very damaged adults, and the cycle continued. Vestiges of these inhuman characteristics are still evidenced today in politically incorrect cartoons.

Black family dynamics are still hurting from the far reaching effects of slavery. Most are unaware of the cause. They just don't know what is wrong or why. Most can only trace their family tree back about three to five generations. After that there is a black hole and only the very fortunate can trace their roots all the way back to Africa. Their owners had no reason to keep good records. They can no more find records of their family history than most people can find the roots of their family dog. In fact, pure breed dogs probably have people keeping better records than can be found for most African American families.

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