Perhaps what needs to be done is a complete revamp of the “Holy Bible,” with explanations. Another wise man once mentioned that not until the American people have an explanation of something, such as an unidentified flying saucer soaring directly above your head, while you hover, will they be pleased.
I was recently reading an article about the history of the African slave trade. It occurred to me whether as a white person, I should feel some shame at my ancestors for having done such a thing. As a modern person, after all, I had no direct role in the slave trade (discounting the possibility of a role in a previous life). Why should I feel shame about something I had nothing to do with?
What do you know about Liberia? Or do you even care?
Americans pay little attention to Liberia, and most Europeans think of the country as a joke. […] In case of apparently friendly relations between that country and European powers there has usually come to the surface some design to deprive Liberia of its territory or to secure some economic advantage. The American’s endorsement of the Firestone invasion of that African area shows that on this side of the Atlantic the same attitude has developed.
(Azikiwe 352)
The above quote best exemplifies what happened in Liberia in the 1920s in regards to the selling out of elite Liberians to US capitalist interests. Exploring the past is key to understanding how and why the exploitation of Liberians continues to happen today. Beginning as a colony for African-American settlement on the continent of Africa, Liberia grew from a small community of hopefuls into a nation rife with exploitation and a class system that denies the existence of, as Marcus Garvey might say, a “United Negro State.” With much help from the U.S. the new nation of Liberia was established and it started its long journey into the world of nations. (Pham 12) As it embarked on this journey it was not without the typical bumps and bruises. As Liberia encountered financial troubles it turned its back on the country’s founding principles. Thus the economic interests of the U.S. and the black Liberian elites superceded the facades of black-nationalism and Garveyism in the ‘black nation’ of Liberia.
My people My people we must move on
For many years we were kept as slaves
told how we could and couldn't behave
from cooking, cleaning, farming we did it all
But is that an excuse for now us to fall?
on our behinds what can we get from that
Always being the last to find the treasure
always known as the follower
My people My people we must move on
This is an essay I wrote for my English 120 class. It is entitled: "The Effects of Slavery in Politics and Culture".
Recently my friend, who happens to be Jewish, was in an arguement with an black-american girl. It was an interesting discussion to say the least until she made the fatal mistake of comparing the plight of slaves in America to the holocaust of the Jews.
In high school, I elected to take a 1 semester class in African history. Among other things, this class talked a little bit about slavery. And although many other bits of information from that semester have crept sneakily from my brain to disappear in sidewalk cracks, this moment sticks with me.
The Pledge of Allegiance or a Pledge to Hypocrisy?
Volume 1, Hypocrisy at Home
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
