“Behind everything there is still the sin and curse of slavery, and the fact that for black Americans, the way up through hard work and education was closed in the South by force of law, closed by government policies that combined with private action to create racial ghettos and urban decay.”
Our Quote of the Week is a stark reminder that slavery was a cruel, destructive system whose repercussions we continue to live with. Its legacy is one that we cannot downplay or attempt to erase.
This week, we return to Sargent Shriver’s 1975 speech about busing at Cooper Union in New York. The speech is almost 50 years old, but it continues to resonate with its insights about education and inequality. A speech from Shriver’s 1975-76 campaign to be the Democratic presidential candidate, it includes observations that underline a fundamental truth about the history of our country: that the legacy of slavery continues to shape our systems, from education to banking to the criminal justice system and beyond.
This week, we heard narratives coming from prominent places, including out of the White House, which downplayed the role and effect of slavery on the United States. It is up to all of us to speak out against these false narratives. Fortunately, there is a wealth of resources online and off we can access (and must protect) that can educate and remind us of the violence of slavery, and of its enduring impact. Some of these resources include:
- The National Museum of African American History & Culture collections (this is a Smithsonian Museum whose slavery exhibits are currently at risk of being altered)
- The Legacy Sites of the Equal Justice Initiative
- The Library of Congress’ Collections about Slavery in America
- The 1619 Project
- UC Berkeley’s collection of resources about the impact of slavery today
- https://www.slavevoyages.org
It is only in deepening our knowledge of the history of the United States, including the reality and enduring impact of slavery, that we can move forward in creating a more equitable and loving society.
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