WHAT "LESSONS" WERE YOU TAUGHT ABOUT SLAVERY?

Over the years, I’ve worked with some White coworkers who literally thought that being racially open-minded meant enjoying Thai food on their lunch break. They’d brag about enjoying Malaysian, Peruvian, Indonesian or some other foreign cuisine, all while treating the minorities they worked with like pieces of crap.

But, we know eating foreign cuisine and respecting people and their culture are two different things. There’s inherent racism in American society. Part of the genesis of this racial hatred and intolerance, the country’s dirty laundry (a.k.a. SLAVERY), still contributes to many of the issues that Blacks face in American society.

I often think about the slave-like caricatures that Whites used to depict Blacks, when this country’s television and film industries were in their infancy. Many of those images slowly evolved over time, but they can still be seen today.

Do you ever stop to think about how many White people shape their perceptions of Blacks based solely on what they see in the media? Some Whites have never had or don’t have Black friends, often by choice and not geographical location (because Blacks are everywhere) or simply have never gotten to know anyone Black—often by choice and because of stereotyping. I've had more than one White coworker tell me that they never really got to know anyone Black until they were in college or started working. What some White people know or think they know about Blacks can often be chalked up to inherent racism or from media images—which includes many stereotypes. Sometimes, Whites “know” things based on negative experiences that other Whites have had with Blacks—that are extrapolated out to represent the entire Black race.

But, Whites have also learned a lot about Blacks from their early years in school. Remember those lessons on slavery that usually occurred during Black History month? Well, below is a sampling of the “history” taught in my public school classes in order to justify the enslavement of Africans (hence, African Americans) in the United States:

· Africans were primitive – this was explicitly stated and written on the blackboard

o African women exposed their breasts and the men were also partially unclothed;
o Africans did not wear shoes;
o All Africans were cannibals; and
o Whites wanted to teach Africans to be civilized (proper dress and behavior).

· Africa, as a continent, was backwards – this was explicitly stated and written on the blackboard

o While Europeans had progressed, Africans didn’t understand the need for science, math, writing, etc.;
o Whites used slavery to show and teach industry and technology to Africans;
o Africa was THE WHITE MAN’S BURDEN;
o The White man was compelled to take action to bring Africa into the modern age;
o Africans were enslaved for their own good;
o Africans sold each other, so they were responsible for the enslavement of Africans in America; and
o Without African participation, Whites could not have enslaved so many Africans.

Each reason for slavery fell squarely on the shoulders of the Africans that were enslaved, traded, lynched, murdered, raped and otherwise tortured and abused, including being stripped of their children. According to the lessons taught in my schools:

· Africans require mistreatment for their own good.
· The African is stupid.
· The African is wild and animal-like.
· The African is used to not having any possessions or anything of value.
· The African needs the judgment and intervention of Whites to exist.
· The cultural standards and lifestyle of Africans are inferior to those of Whites.
· Whites are not responsible for what America did to the African slave.
· Dealing with the African is troublesome and taxing.

I’m only in my 30’s. Yet, these were the lessons taught in public schools prior to my reaching the 9th grade. And, if they were teaching such nonsense to justify slavery, in the so-called progressive schools of New York, what were they teaching around the country—particularly in the south?

When you look at the ridiculous “lessons” taught in many American schools and add to that family upbringing, geographical mindsets, lack of exposure to other races, and media images (movies like Birth of a Nation, Mammy, Sambo, etc.), can you really tell me that there won’t be some leakage of this nonsense in the workplace and throughout American communities? It’s just not possible that we won’t be living with the effects of inherited racist mentalities for many decades/centuries to come. Racism is taught and, unfortunately, not enough Americans think that racism should not be passed on as an American value. Throughout the country, Blacks live AND WORK with many of “massa’s” offspring. And, some of massa’s kids certainly don’t think there’s a damn thing wrong with them. The problem is Black people. They believe us to be inferior, that we should be subservient to them, and that we are not their equals. I’ve heard a White person say, “To be perfectly honest with you, it’s hard to forget that your ancestors owned other people.”

And, that, my friends, is the problem. People want Blacks to let go of the past, to stop talking about slavery and its legacy, but even those same people can’t help but be a bit nostalgic themselves. How do you forget something like slavery—regardless of which side your people were on? Now, you can choose to forget or pretend it’s not important, but isn’t it always there?

I’m just curious…

WHAT “LESSONS” DID YOU LEARN ABOUT SLAVERY IN SCHOOL? Do you think it’s possible for White people to forget that their ancestors literally owned another race? Or, do you think it’s always in the back of their heads, when they’re dealing with Black folks? Do you think that many companies still treat Black employees with a plantation mentality or allow Blacks to be treated as if they are still on a plantation? What do you think is the continued impact of slavery, if anything? Post a comment or send an email to blackonthejob@yahoo.com. I'll share some of your thoughts with our readers.