White folks I’m gonna have to ask ya’ll to have a fucking seat using “but Africans had slaves too” as your weak ass defense.

thegoddamazon:

Africans had slaves, but as part of a workforce. Most if not all slaves were prisoners of war, and even then, the slaves assimilated to the tribe in which they were held, and had a chance to marry and have children and earn a place among the tribe given a chance. Also, in regards to us Africans selling our fellows into slavery, this is just more propaganda to support that scaredy-cat belief of not looking like the bad guy.

In Badaguri, one of the major slave ports in Nigeria, the Europeans spun the tale of needing a laboring force to help build in the New World, and as Africans were trading openly with Europeans, then, it was told as if Africans would share a piece of the profit and open trade with the New World across the sea. Naturally, we didn’t sell our own—we sold our war prisoners, people already enslaved who hadn’t earned freedom. This was reasonable, slavery was common, and we trusted the Europeans to honor their vow.

We all know how that turned out.

In Rome, slaves—particular Gladiators—were given a chance to earn their freedom.

African slaves taken by Europeans to America were never afforded any of these things. In rare instances, yes, but it wasn’t apart of the lives of Americans to give slaves a chance to earn their freedom or have a life of their own.

And this was 400 years of not only enslavement. This was coupled with racism, to fuel the reasoning behind the enslavement of Africans; a lot of Europe saw no point in enslaving Africans and actually wanted to abolish slavery, and racist ads and propaganda was released saying that because Africans were inferior to the white race, they deserved to be enslaved because they were nothing more than uncivilized animals. This went on for 400 years. 400 years of impressing these beliefs into the psyche of Europeans and their American descendants. If it’s brown, it was meant to be enslaved or considered subhuman. 400 years. In case you’re not up to speed that’s four whole centuries of oppression.

Now, imagine that bearing down on generations afterward. Imagine those beliefs permeating America so thoroughly, permeating Europe so thoroughly, that they become an innate way of life. You begin to see white people and automatically assume the mental role as second fiddle to them. They begin to see us as a fascinating alien race either to be abhorred or pawed at or made to dance, sing, fight, and fuck for their entertainment.

Imagine that continuing long after slavery is abolished. Imagine being told in subliminal messages every day of your life that you will never be as beautiful as you are because you are not fair-skinned. Imagine being fair-skinned but knowing you’re Black, but because you know what it means to be Black, you decide to pass for white…and upon succeeding, you erase all the Blackness from your past.

Imagine for a moment, that every time you see a police officer, you flinch because history has shown you the relationship between law enforcement and Blacks in this country has never been positive. Imagine having to go the extra mile, put on a little extra make-up, add a little more straightener to your hair, be a little more tight and fit, be a little bit more book smart, have a lot better diction…than the average white person, because you have been taught via subliminal messages as a result of 400 years of racist beliefs that you are not strong enough, beautiful enough, smart enough, or well-spoken enough to compete with even the most average of white people.

You only know a drop in the ocean of what it means to be a person of color in this country. So shut the fuck up and let us have our peace.

(via jhameia)