Whenever I visit a plantation or a site that commemorates the collective survival and resistance of my ancestors, I am always pleasantly surprised when I see families (children included) from other races present. I am ELATED when I see Black families with their children present!
You may wonder, “why would you want to take a child to a slave plantation”, “why do you want to talk about slavery with a child”? And these are all valid questions! And to be honest, I have wrestled with ideas around timing, temperament, consequences and a variety of factors and here is what I have landed on:
1. Intuitively…spiritually, I have determined that this is a history and awareness that my child needs to know. #FullStop
2. Race and the consequences of legalized racism, apartheid and oppression are very much alive and well today. It is my responsibility to develop my daughter’s race consciousness from a place of #empowerment and #strength. As we have these experiences, I control the narrative and amplify our survival as an act of resistance! We are a mighty people!
3. We owe it to our ancestors to #Remember. We owe it to our now to #Remember. We owe it to our future progeny to #Remember. There is accountability and reverence in #Remembering.
4. The work of #RaceEquity is not done. #RacialDisparities are real and quantifiable in every aspect of life. I am raising my daughter to be a #SocialActivist who constructs and #EXPERIENCES (insert #BlackGirlJoy) a World that is universally free! In order for her to co-create a new World and experience the fruit of that new World, she has to have a critical and sophisticated consciousness on what currently exists, the root causes and the best practices that lead to forward advancement.
Aminata has been fortified, loved on and engulfed in the richness of Black/African culture since she was born. She is proud of her identity and her heritage. Her concept of self and community did not and does not begin in slavery, it begins in #BlackExcellence. Chattel slavery is not our shame to carry…so we do not hide, erase, ignore nor forget that it happened. We face it flat footed and straight eyed. It’s an ugliness, an indecency, a wickedness that is embedded throughout the foundations of this country and it’s legacy is still present today. However…we survived and are still standing, today! And we will survive, thrive and still be standing tomorrow! How powerful is that?!
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Over Spring Break, @crayonsandculture went to the Whitney Plantation @whitneyplantation in Louisiana. In a time when #Truth, #BlackStudies and #DEI are under attack, it is imperative that we #Remember and we #NeverForget the harm and trauma that was inflicted on Africans and their descendants at the hands of the Pan-European Diaspora (later known as “white people”). The pope, monarchs, merchants, aspiring business men, etc. were all complicit.
Chattel slavery and legalized racial apartheid in the Americas was/is not only an unjust #CruelAndUnusualPunishment, it was/is an outright #CrimeAgainstHumanity. The legalized institution of slavery literally built this country along with the industries that led to white, wealth generation (and ultimately the racial wealth gap).
Slavery is the foundation of this country and is the root cause to the racial disparities we see in every facet of American life. The audacity of politicians/“Supreme Court Justices” who repeal affirmative action efforts, and the negligence of educators/administrators who disregard the teaching of this fundamental history is how we delay healing and reconciliation and perpetuate generations of racial conflict and disparities and, ultimately, collective bondage.
Crayons & Culture teaches the children (truth) so they can create a World anew! If you would like to donate, support or get involved with Crayons & Culture, please click the link in the bio (or comments) for more information. Follow us on our socials: IG- @crayonsandculture, LinkedIn/FB- Crayons & Culture.
#BlackStudies #AmericanHistory #WorldHistory #TruthAndReconciliation #Asé #WeSurvived #WhitneyPlantation #Slavery #louisiana
