How many of us have said this to our child? Do we know that this is what our slavemasters told us when they sold our family members away from us? we weren't allowed to cry or express any emotion other than complete happiness and satisfaction with our enslaved state. White psychiatrists came up with a malady called drapetomanie. This dreadful disease afflicted its victim with an uncontrollable urge to run away from slavery. Any display of dissatisfaction or moroseness was seen as indicative of the onset of drapetomania and the recommended treatment was to beat the devil out of the slave.
They tell us slavery was over a hundred and forty three years ago. Then why do we continue to raise our children as slaves, to think like slaves, act like slaves and accept slavish treatment as their due? We defend our practices because we do not know where they come from. That's what my mama did and her mama before her and her mama before her. But do we want to perpetuate that which was in fact shameful for our ancestors in a mistaken effort to honor them?
They tell us slavery was over a hundred and forty three years ago. Then why do we continue to raise our children as slaves, to think like slaves, act like slaves and accept slavish treatment as their due? We defend our practices because we do not know where they come from. That's what my mama did and her mama before her and her mama before her. But do we want to perpetuate that which was in fact shameful for our ancestors in a mistaken effort to honor them?