The coldness of their ledgers, the complete dehumanization of the people. And as you say, the balance continues to grow.
I was thinking recently about the cost of racism in terms of the amount of energy, time, effort it takes for Black people to live in this world. If they didn’t have to put so much into overcoming the systemic obstacles continually thrown in their way, and could just focus on living their best lives, the entire world would benefit beyond measure. The world is spectacularly worse off for all the times that Black excellence went unsupported and actively thwarted. That balance continues to grow as well.
Yes, the cruelty is cumulative, not only in what is denied but in all the life that gets spent proving, surviving, and compensating. The balance keeps climbing, even when the country pretends not to see it.
I've been thinking a lot about the same things. It's wild to consider where we could be but aren't all because of racism. Because on the flip side of Black people struggling to survive the system, you have all of the white people wasting their energy maintaining the system. All of those energies would be better spend but aren't. It's maddening.
I never forget that I am only the third generation of both sides of my family that was born free. Here’s a little something for you: The Zong Massacre:
Thank you for bringing this in. The fact that your family memory can still count freedom by generation says everything about how recent the wound is. Three generations is not history gone far back; it is memory still warm. The Zong is part of the same ledger, and it belongs here.
There’s a younger subscriber of mine named @maeve o'brien writes who has done some incredible research on the compensation provided to slave holding interests throughout the UK.
The coldness of their ledgers, the complete dehumanization of the people. And as you say, the balance continues to grow.
I was thinking recently about the cost of racism in terms of the amount of energy, time, effort it takes for Black people to live in this world. If they didn’t have to put so much into overcoming the systemic obstacles continually thrown in their way, and could just focus on living their best lives, the entire world would benefit beyond measure. The world is spectacularly worse off for all the times that Black excellence went unsupported and actively thwarted. That balance continues to grow as well.
Yes, the cruelty is cumulative, not only in what is denied but in all the life that gets spent proving, surviving, and compensating. The balance keeps climbing, even when the country pretends not to see it.
I'm coming back to read the essay. Bookmarked for later. 💜
I've been thinking a lot about the same things. It's wild to consider where we could be but aren't all because of racism. Because on the flip side of Black people struggling to survive the system, you have all of the white people wasting their energy maintaining the system. All of those energies would be better spend but aren't. It's maddening.
💯!
I never forget that I am only the third generation of both sides of my family that was born free. Here’s a little something for you: The Zong Massacre:
https://leslyejoyallen.substack.com/p/the-zong-slave-ship-massacre-of-1781?r=1hfbq&utm_medium=ios
Thank you for bringing this in. The fact that your family memory can still count freedom by generation says everything about how recent the wound is. Three generations is not history gone far back; it is memory still warm. The Zong is part of the same ledger, and it belongs here.
There’s a younger subscriber of mine named @maeve o'brien writes who has done some incredible research on the compensation provided to slave holding interests throughout the UK.