Slavery Tourism: Is It Fair To Profit From Tragedy?

My ancestors were Enslaved Africans and my ancestors were the Europeans that enslaved the Africans. My tear ducts hurt as I struggle to write about my family's connection to slavery. I meet so many African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans that feel the way to connect to their ancestors is to connect to slavery.

I choose not to allow slavery to define who and what my ancestors were, well to a certain degree. In researching the history of my family, I uncovered that my Grandmother's great-great grandfather was a White man. I was angered that my Grandmother's family chose to praise and center the family's history on the White man that possibly raped my great-great-great grandmother. The family tree features the name of the White man but lists my great-great-great grandmother only as a "slave".

In uncovering the history of my paternal  great grandfather, I learned that he was the byproduct of an affair between a White southern woman and a sharecropper. His White mother abandoned him in a Black orphanage. He spent his entire life trying to find his mother and he did not. I can only imagine that he died with an emptiness that could never be filled.

I want to know my ancestors. I feel that going to Ghana could never help me quantify the horror that my ancestors went through. My ancestors are not tied to a specific place, my ancestor's blood flows through me. I am my ancestor.

I refuse to support Ghana's or an African country profiting from the tragedy of slavery. If I was to feel some connection to Ghana or the Cape Coast Slave castles then should I feel a connection to the Auction Blocks that my ancestors stood on? Should I feel a connection to the whips that beat my ancestors? Should I feel a connection with the people that enslaved my ancestors?


 via CNN
African-American poet Maya Angelou once wrote: "Africa is a historical truth ... no man can know where he's going unless he knows exactly where he's been and exactly how he arrived at his present place."

This search for" historical truth" has led thousands of visitors to Cape Coast, in Ghana, a picturesque seaside town with stunning blue sea, serene beaches and pastel-colored fishing boats.

Instead of idyllic days under the sun, they are looking for a glimpse into their dark ancestral past -- the harrowing experience of their African forebears who were sold as slaves. Roots tourism has brought more and more people of African descent, like Monique Ross and Jacques Wallace, to the sleepy fishing port.

Ross, Wallace and their tour group from New York walk the grounds of Cape Coast Castle, a seaside fortress that served as slave dungeons, to see what their ancestors went through before they were shipped across the Atlantic.

"I'm slightly numb actually," said Wallace. "I wasn't actually ready for the stories about this place as far as the way people were treated, and the thing about the tunnel and everyone bound and being led down the tunnel is a little bit tragic, a little bit too much to take in all at once."

His fellow traveler agreed. "It is a little devastating at first," said Ross. "It's good to know the history of what has happened and how to connect your historical past with things that have happened."

Paul Robeson: UnSUNG Hero Of The Civil Right Movement

 Paul Robeson is an activist that barely receives the acknowledgment that he deserves. He founded American Crusade Against Lynching (ACAL) to protect Blacks against lynch when President Truman refused to act. He continued on his anti-lynching even when the NAACP DID NOT support him. He was blacklisted! He was rumored to be a communist. He took the fifth rather than expose his political affiliations.
SALUTE THIS MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ‪#‎ASE‬

Lupita Nyong’o: Hollywood's Roles For Dark Skin Women

There is an unspoken code between poets, actors and performers. We believe that we feed our audience from our souls. In Miles Davis: The Complete Illustrated History, comedian and legend Bill Cosby recalls seeing Miles Davis perform in London. He and his wife were invited to Miles’ dressing room.  Cosby stated that more than 200 people rushed Miles’ dressing room. Miles simply stated, “ they came to get what is left”.

Miles’ words rang in my head, as I read a Hollywood Reporter Article on  Lupita Nyong’o. The article described her as the Cinderella of the Oscar ball and explores  her career opportunities since the Oscar hype has died down. Notable quotes from the article:

But now that the ball is over and the applause is dying down, what can Nyong'o really expect from Hollywood? ….there's never been a black actress who has become the equivalent of a Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie.

"I don't think she has an audience -- not yet," says one studio executive. "And there are so few roles for women of color; those roles are just not being written."

Further complicating Nyong'o's prospects is the fact that her dark skin challenges an industry prejudice that traditionally has favored black actresses and performers with lighter complexions. "Would Beyonce be who she is if she didn't look like she does?" . "Being lighter-skinned, more people can look at her image and see themselves in her. In Lupita's case, I think she has two-and-half, three years.

Historically roles for African American/African women have existed in the following archetypes:

- tragic mulatto ( Halle Berry in Monster's Ball)

- the welfare queen ( Gabby Sidibe and Monique in Precious)

- Comic relief ( Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost)

- The slave/Object of White Man's desire ( Lupita in 12 Years A Slave)

- The Manny ( Hattie McDonalds in Gone With The Wind)

The Oscar community has awarded these very actresses with Academy Award nominations and awards for portraying negative archetypes that have plagued African/African American women forever. The roles for African/African American women seem to be limited in Hollywood. The choice and less degrading roles for African American/African women have gone to light skin African American, bi-racial or racial ambitious Latina actresses. 

As the Hollywood Reporter referenced, actresses of a darker hue and prominent African features have a tougher time garnering an audience. Why? From the articles that I read, we now exist in a world of post-racism. Our society has to be liberated for a  bi-racial man to be elected president, right?

I don't buy Hollywood's explanation of why dark skinned actresses are not chosen or successful! Hollywood creates reality for the world. If Hollywood choose to make dark skin actresses the new "it" girls and choose to give them " Angelina Jolie/Julia Roberts" type roles, the rest of the world would follow suit. It only takes one media executive with courage to change the world. 

What was Halle's groundbreaking role after winning the Academy Award? What was Gabby's groundbreaking role since Precious? What was Whoopi's groundbreaking role since Ghost?

My final question is what happens to African/African American actresses who have bowed and played stereotypical roles, when the Hollywood has taken EVERYTHING that they had left?

ASE

Lauryn Hill: Our Government Pimpin' Us?

                                 


A soul sister supreme with an angelic voice is Lauryn Hill. Ms. Hill is an accomplished musician, eight- time Grammy winner and a mother of 6 beautiful children. None of this has mattered in the federal government's case against Hill for tax evasion.

The government alleged that Hill failed to pay taxes on the $1,8 Million that four corporations that she owned, earned between 2005 and 2007. She pled quilty last June to the charges.  According to CBS, she had a court appearance today in Newark court.

It was reported by other media sources, that her sentencing would be postponed for two weeks.

Pause, Let's discuss how a pimp named the government works for a second

Our government is a pimp. In order to work on their turf, we have to pay a toll (taxes). The government makes sure that they take their money, off the top. If you don't run the government's money, they will cut yo ass! They will drag you through a trial, pimp slap and  garnish your wages, imprison you and still force you to repay every cent that you own them.

UnPause

Lauryn failed to align with the topsy-tursy federal taxation system. She claimed that she went underground to protect her family and privacy. I believe her. I think that once any rational person starts to question the government systems that are in place, they are going to say, " wait a minute, that makes no sense."

Lauryn raged against the machine.I pray that she received a light sentence. This is a white collar crime and she is a mother.


                                                                  Namaste

Black Parents, Put Down Massa's Whip...You Are Suffering From Post Traumatic Slavery Syndrome!

In the film Roots, Rebellious slave Kunta Kinte is beating by the White overseer until he accepts his new name of Toby. This is the same "conditioning" that African American parents use when discipline their children. We need to be cognitive of the origins of our actions.

An ugly Facebook debate ensued when one of my friends posted a Huffington Post Article on Greg Hunt . Hunt is an Ohio father that whipped his daughters so severly that he caused welts and bruises on their bodies. He beat them with a cord after he found that they made a “twerkin”  (suggestive booty shaking) video. Different African American friends of mine on Facebook praised his actions and stated, " they are going to learn today". Later, they were angered that the police arrested Hunt and charged him with child endangerment and corporal punishment after welts and bruises were found on his daughters' bodies, by their mother.

(pause)

I hate NIGGERS! I see niggers as anyone who uses violence instead of their minds to resolve problems. I find that beating children is a NIGGER reaction, a good parent would talked to the children and explained why the "Twerkin" videos were harmful. A good parents fostered opportunities to improve their child's self -esteem so they would not make "twerkin" videos.

(unpause)

I tried vehemently to explain the connection between slavery and the abuse that we inflict upon our children and ourselves. No one listened, instead they defended Hunt's actions with:

My parents beat me and I turned out better for it! - Black woman

The Bible Says ' spoil the rod and spare the child.' - Black man

I would not tolerance disrespect for any child or my child. I would whip them too!- Black woman, who identified herself as a teacher

The police are fascist. How can America say that Black men are not good fathers and when a Black man properly disciplines his children, he is arrested?- Black man

White people don't "whip" their kids and look at them. - Black woman

I must first start by saying this....Religion has been used as a form of mind control since the beginning of time. People fail to realize that the Bible is full of parables that require you to think beyond the surface level. People that look at the surface will say, " the Bible condones beating my child with a belt or a cord" instead of disseminating the true meaning. They want a quick fix!

All of the comments listed above show me one thing- African Americans are suffering from P.T.S.S. ( post traumatic slave syndrome). The African Americans that commented on the status seemed to revert to old and familiar ideas of abuse. The language that they used " the bible says" and " my parent beat me so" show their willingness to hold on to cycles of abuse!

As the P.T.S.S. theory states these ideologies are adaptive survival behaviors or coping mechanisms, that exist as a consequence of multigenerational oppression of Africans and their descendants resulting from centuries of chattel slavery. Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome includes extreme violence against self, property and others, including members of one's own family. I want to take it a step further and say that abuse is a learned behavior. The Black woman that said that her parents beat her, chooses to beat her children because she has learned that violence is the only way to achieve desired results. Her children will beat their children, who will beat their children and the vicious cycle of abuse will continue until someone stops and asks the right question, " why am I doing this"?

The man that beat his daughters for a "twerkin" video was no different than the White overseer that beat Kunta Kentei. It is all a form of classical conditioning. I wonder if African Americans question the origins of their actions! BECAUSE "beatings" and " whippings" are something that we have learned from our ancestors, who learned it from the White overseers.

So much of our existence is still tied to slavery! The solution is to abolish our old ways of doing things. We need to talk out more of our issues. We need to teach our children, a new way. We need to shower them with love, understanding and education!

The Not So Curious Case of Aiyana Jones and Fred Hampton

 Aiyana Jones and Fred Hampton, it an odd series of events that would lead these names in martyrdom. The worlds of Aiyana and Fred are as different as night and day. They were born in different time periods, were different ages, lived in different states BUT BOTH WERE MURDERED BY SWAT MEMBERS as they slept.

Fred Hampton was a leader in the Black Panther Party in Chicago, IL in the 1960s. His position and ideologies made him, an enemy to Chicago Police, the FBI and the federal government. He was drugged by FBI informant William O' Neal before a police raid on his apartment. He was murdered in bed on December 4, 1969.

Aiyana Jones  was born on July 20, 2002 in Detroit, MI. She was/is loved! She was 7 years and sleeping when Detroit's SWAT team and cameramen from A&E's 48HRS entered her home on May 16, 2010. Officer Joseph Weekley shot Aiyana in her head while she slept on the family's couch.

In their cases, there are similarities and there differences:
- Both homes were raided
- Both were murdered unjustly by overzealous  law official enforcement agents
- Both were people of color
- Both were roses cut too soon
- Law enforcement justified their murders unjustly

The difference was Aiyana was SEVEN YEARS OLD. She never has the opportunity to live life, drive a car, fall in love, become a mother, go to college, buy a home, get marry and graduate from high school. All the milestones that we take for granted, she never got! Look at her face, she looks like an angel. She probably looked like an angel when Officer Joseph Weekley found her sleeping. She was an innocent!

Fred and Aiyana are not alone, there are other African Americans that have been murdered unjustly by police.Sean Bell was killed by plain clothes NYPD officers in Queens, NY after his bachelor party. A top of 50 shots were fired into Bell’s Vehicle after his car accidently hit an unarmed police car. 

Officers Sean Carroll, Edward McMellon, Kenneth Boss and Richard Murphy, members of NYPD's tactical street team, of which the  focus was  on removing illegal handguns from NY streets, stopped Amadou Diallo in front of his Bronx’s home. They claimed that he fit the description of a rape suspect.  The officers fired 41 shots , 19 of which fatally wounded Diallo. Officers Sean Carroll and Edward McMellon emptied their weapons, firing 16 shots each, NYPD representatives report.

Every year, there is a new case of an innocent African American that killed by overzealous law enforcement agents. This year, it is Kimani Gray. The NYPD's account of  shooting death of Kimani Gray is highly disputed. The officers claim that Gray pointed a .38 caliber gun in their direction but did not fire.

Witnesses claim that Gray did not have a gun and his hands were up, when NYPD officers shot him three times in the back. A total of 11 shots were fired by  Officers Mourad and Cordova. Mayor Bloomberg called the murder of Kimani Gray, a justifiable kill by NYPD. It was later revealed that New York City paid more than $215,000 to settle civil right lawsuits brought against Mourad and Cordova.

Police feel safe when they unjustly kill African Americans! It is rare that they suffer anything more than a slap on the wrist. African Americans must united and fight for justice for our TAKEN brothers and sisters. We need to rally, speak and write letters of protest on behalf of our slain brothers and sisters.

Black People, When Will Your Bodies Stop Being Chattle?

African Americans' bodies and capitalism go hand and hand in America. For Caucasian slave traders, the sale of an Enslaved African on the auction block fetched a healthy bounty. Today, African American boxers, football, basketball and baseball players make millions for Caucasian sport franchise owners. The cycle of the American American body and White capitalism is a brutal one.

African Americans are chattel! Merriam- Webster defines chattel as an item of tangible movable or immovable property. If you disagree, please analyze the similarities between Enslaved Africans being bought, sold and traded on the auction block  and  the NBA draft. If you analyze the weighing- in of boxers before boxing matches and Enslaved Africans on the auction block, the similarities are scary.

 White America's exoticism with the Black body can be seen in Tyson Chandler's ESPN cover. Tyson was oiled up until his skin gleamed. The Caucasian photographer focused on Tyson's buttocks, arms and back. Tyson was photographed with the stereotypic gaze of the " Mandingo warrior."



No! I did not forget the sisters! The psychological effects of slavery are still affecting Black women. Black women during slavery were violated, raped, watched their children sold off and were told they were property. They were owned by their White "masters" first and then their Black husbands.  They were forced to "mate" with different Black males, just for the sake of procreation without love relationships being involved. 

Today, sisters still believe and internalizes the ideology of " my self worth is tied to my body." Enslaved African women were placed on auction blocks nude, Caucasian buyers grabbed at their breast, buttocks and vaginas to "test" the quality of the merchandise. This phenomenal is the brainchild for strip clubs, there is even a stage that resembles the auction block. In strip clubs, men are able to feel, touch and caress the "merchandise" for as little as $10.

Video Vixens and strippers are one in the same, these beautiful sisters are still on the auction block without a clue of how to get down! Who taught them to owned and love themselves? This is a movement that needs to take place, one of self love for sisters!