Stop Sanitizing the History of American Slavery

288px-Gordon,_scourged_back,_NPG,_1863This time of the year we celebrate the “freedoms” Americans attained after revolting against the British and gaining “our” independence. However, the recent remake of the classic TV miniseries Roots reminds us that while the Founding Fathers may have been fighting for the nation’s freedoms, those same freedoms didn’t extend to anyone who wasn’t a privileged, white male at the time.

I had a conversation with an older family member about a month ago about the new version of Roots. The family member said there wasn’t a need to remake the miniseries because “it will make black people get angry and uncomfortable.”

Well, yeah, black people should be angry and uncomfortable about slavery.

Then there were other people, like Snoop Dogg, who are tired of only seeing movies about slavery. He is not entirely wrong. Yes, it would be great to see more substantive films and TV shows that explore the full spectrum of the African-American experience, but there is still a need to have proper media representations of slavery because you can’t move forward as a society without knowing your past and where you come from. Otherwise, your history gets lost and diluted.

I say this because when you don’t remind people about the truth of slavery, there will be others who will take advantage of the void and lack of discussion to create revisionist history.

And there is a lot of revisionist history about slavery going on right now.

It is bad enough that American schools barely teach about the history of people of color, or even use fictional books with protagonists of color. But now this white supremacy in our schools have been taken to a whole, new level by way of textbooks teaching students that black slaves were migrant workers as if they came to America on their own free will.

This recent article also reminded me of other slavery revisionist theories, such as:

  1. Racism didn’t influence slavery;
  2. House slaves had it better than field slaves;
  3. Slave owners took care of their slaves out of goodwill, and not for their own economic interests;
  4. Slaves that were “loyal” had better treatment;

If you watched the original version or the remake of Roots, or know some real history, you will be aware that all the above are false.

My biggest grievance comes when the revisionist discussion of sexual violence during slavery comes up. A few months ago, I watched a TV program where the panelists were discussing the alleged relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings. There was this one guy there who was desperately trying to make the case that Jefferson and Hemings had a “wonderful love affair.”

Let me say this upfront: all sexual relations between slaves and their owners are always considered rape because of the unequal power structure and lack of consent. To even say this today is actually controversial to some people, which further exemplifies how sanitized slavery has become in American history.

Although there have been many movies and books that have dramatized their “love story,” we don’t really know the true nature of the Jefferson/Hemings relationship. What we do know, however, is that Hemings was at least 14 years old when Jefferson, who was in his mid-forties at the time, began having sex with her. There is no way a 14-year-old, black, female slave was in the position to consent to a sexual relationship in 1787 with her white male slave owner, who was old enough to be her father. By today’s standards, this Founding Father would not only be considered a racist slave owner, but also a child molester.

For argument’s sake, even if in the highly unlikely case Hemings and Jefferson had a consensual relationship, I am pretty sure Hemings could never say “not tonight, honey.” During slavery, many female slaves became the master’s girlfriend or bed wenches, as they were not free to make that choice. It is even more ridiculous when historians refer to Hemings as a “mistress,” which again implies that she chose by her own free will to have a consensual relationship with Jefferson.

Also, sexual violence was so pervasive and complex among female slaves during slavery that sexual abuse against male slaves often falls to the wayside. Yes, male slaves were also raped, or what is called “breaking the buck.” It did happen, and you can read more about it here, as well as about other sexual perversions during slavery.

My point here is that we still need to have honest conversations about this dark point in American history. Slavery is America’s original sin, and Americans of all colors should preserve its real history not only for future generations but to also preserve respect for our ancestors.

Black (Girls’) Lives Matter Too

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pushout_finalThe national debate about the criminal justice system has mostly focused on interactions between law enforcement and black males.  Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and many others have become the face of unethical black criminalization.  While it is important to advocate for black males, let’s not forget black females.

Recent news stories about black girls include Dajerria Becton, the 15-year-old girl pinned to the ground by a police officer during a pool party last year.  I remember the horrific visual of a unarmed, skinny girl in a bikini having a gun put to her head.  I also remember the shocking video of the black girl in the South Carolina classroom who was violently ripped out of her desk chair by a security guard.

I recently read Monique W. Morris’ riveting new book, Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools.  It makes the case that just like black males, black females have been unfairly judged by society based on long-standing stereotypes about them that go as far back to the days of slavery.  

Most of the book focuses on the treatment of black girls in schools.  Black girls only make up 16 percent of all girls in American schools, but 42 percent of them get expelled and get corporal punishment, 45 percent get at least one out-of-school suspension, 31 percent are referred to law enforcement, and 34 percent are arrested at school.  Black girls who go through this much bad treatment in school will have a harder time as adults.

I really appreciated the interviews with many black girls around the country who have been placed in detention centers because their voices are usually not heard.  When you hear their stories, you realize that black girls have very diverse and complex lives and the schools are not taking that into consideration.  There was the story of a girl who was raped when she was 12 by a man who forced her into prostitution.  She was in and out of foster care homes and wasn’t able to attend school on a regular basis.  Missing classes eventually led to her getting suspended many times, fighting with other students and failing school altogether and before going back to prostitution.

To be clear: I am not defending bad behavior on the part of black girls in the classroom, but there are some deeper, multifaceted issues going here that are not being properly addressed, such as their troubled homes, dysfunctional schools, mental health issues, bad role models (reality TV anyone) etc.  This is just not simply a black or white (no pun intended) situation.

What is most upsetting, however, was that most of these girls got in trouble for non-disruptive activities, including how they dress, wearing natural hairstyles, or perceived to be acting “unfeminine,” “aggressive,” “loud,” and even “ghetto.”  Even as adults, many black women like myself continue to fight the stereotype of being an “angry black woman.”  

I have been in many situations in both my academic and professional lives where I felt that I was unfairly treated by my white counterparts, but I always felt like I had to react in a calculated way so as to not get labeled “angry.”  I have also been in situations where I was perceived to be engaging in negative activity based on stereotypes.  Although I have never been physically assaulted by law enforcement, I have personally seen how these bad stereotypes can manifest in the workplace and other situations that can be detrimental for black women. Some people don’t realize the mental acrobats many black females go through in our daily lives to not just be seen as stereotypes, especially when the consequences can mean being criminalized.

What I really liked about the book was that it gave possible solutions to the black girl push-out phenomenon, by providing resources that students, parents and educators can use to end this crisis in our schools and possibly life in general.  If these issues are not addressed appropriately, black girls will continue to be set up to fail.    

Tolerance is for Everyone

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toleranceI don’t even know what to say… I am still in total shock about the events in Orlando this past weekend.  This is not just a issue about homophobia and Islamic radicalism.  This is not just an issue about gun control and mental health, although those two issues need  to be better addressed.

This is really an issue about tolerance.  The shooting in Orlando is just the latest in a long string of violence against innocent people because the assailant didn’t like something about them.  But this is not even just about physical violence.  Why has society become so intolerant of people who are different because of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, or political beliefs?

We have become such a divided society that we can’t even agree to disagree even during a tragedy.  Just the other day a moment of silence on the House floor was disrupted by Democratic representatives protesting the inability of passing gun control legislation.   Of course, we need gun reform in this country, but what about civility?  A local franchise of Chick-Fil-A in Orlando opened its doors on Sunday to make food and deliver it to blood donors.  But they were drastically criticized on Twitter for its longstanding anti-LGBT stances despite the good deed.  

Speaking of the internet, I think social media and other online commenting forums have only exacerbated the hate in the world today.  Take for instance the mother of the child who got caught up with the gorilla a couple of weeks ago.  Sure, she may have made some poor judgment calls, but does she really need to get death threats?

And Donald Trump doesn’t help this situation either.

With his constant verbal attacks on Muslims, immigrants, blacks, Hispanics and women and the ever-growing physical violence at his rallies, this intolerance will only get worse if he is actually elected president.

This country is at a crossroads and we really need to re-evaluate what our collective values are.  As a civilized society, we need to remember that tolerance is for everyone.

How to Jog During Extreme Weather: Summer Edition

street-marathon-1149220_640Last Sunday I ran a 5K race in the middle of a rainstorm. At the beginning of the race it was just sprinkling, but the rain came down progressively harder during the course. Although I brought a light raincoat with me, I opted at the last minute to not wear it during the race to test out my endurance, and I am glad I did that.

When I first started to do recreational jogging over 10 years ago, I almost always went to the gym or even didn’t exercise at all because I worried about the weather interfering with my workout.

It’s too hot… It’s too cold… There is too much snow and ice… It’s rainy…

Excuses, excuses, excuses…

Over the years I have had to overcome these so-called barriers designed by Mother Nature in order to become a better runner. Nonetheless, with trying weather patterns, one has to change their running habits to acclimate to the situation. For instance, during this race I ran at a slower than usual pace mainly to avoid slipping and falling. Also, because I wear prescription glasses full time, the rain made it a little harder to see in front of me, so a slower run to wipe down my glasses and not bump into other runners was necessary.

Some of my friends thought I was crazy to even do the rainy race, especially a couple of my black female friends who are worried about my “hair situation.” I didn’t have a “situation” with my hair, as water is the best moisture black hair can get, thank you very much!

But even on a non-rainy day in the summer, there are still things runners have to do differently to avoid other problems. Here are some tried-and-true suggestions I have learned from my years of running during hot weather months.

Get up really early to run – I usually start my jogs in the summertime around 5AM. Mornings are usually the coolest parts of the day. During heatwaves I will go to bed early the night before and get up at 3 or 4 in the mornings to get my runs in for the day. If it is still too hot that early in the morning and if I am having a hard time breathing during my runs outside, then I head to my nicely air-conditioned gym! If you can’t run in the mornings, late evenings are okay too.

Watch where you run – A lot of us urbanites have to run in a concrete and asphalt jungle of brick buildings, sidewalks and streets that tend to retain more heat during the hot months. This is another reason to run in early mornings because sidewalks and streets are a little cooler during that time of the day. If you live near a park or a hiking trail, running on dirt or grass can be a better alternative. Also, if you are lucky to live near water – river, lake, pond, ocean, pothole with water puddle (just kidding), you can usually get a cooler breeze while running. Water can be really meditative. Running along a path where there are drinking water fountains along the route is a good idea to stay hydrated. Jogging into the wind also has a cooling effect if there happens to be wind when you are running, especially if you run against it.

Wear light clothing – Don’t wear bulking clothes. Less is more! Lightweight, moisture-wicking clothing will help your body breathe during those warm runs. Also, wearing dark colors will actually attract heat, so stick with light colors. If you do runs during the day, wear a baseball cap, sunglasses and sunscreen and run in or near the shade.

Drink water – You should always drink water before, during and after runs. This becomes even more important during hot weather as your body is more prone to dehydration and heat stroke.

Eat something – I usually run 3 or 4 miles in 30 minutes so I might eat half of a Clif Bar 20 minutes before my run. But usually because it is such a short run and it is early morning run, you don’t need to really eat anything beforehand, since your body will be using the natural energy that was stored in your body during your sleep the night before. When I get home then I make sure I have a good protein and iron rich breakfast, like oatmeal or Wheaties with soy milk and a slice of Ezekiel bread. If you are doing longer runs, you might need to do more pre-run eating.

Run slower – There is no shame in running at a slower pace in hot weather, especially at the beginning of your run. It’s better to be somewhat physically active than to not be active at all!

Understand your body – While it is good to practice endurance running, if your body is saying “not today,” then heed to your natural instincts and not run if the weather is too much for you. Do an alternative indoor activity instead, like pool running.

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