Was U.S. slavery different from other forms of slavery? Some commentators try to minimize the slavery’s impact on the United States. This is a brief history of slavery in the United States.
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Tenth Anniversary Edition. New Press, 2020. Buy here!
Davis, Adrienne. “‘Don’t Let Nobody Bother Yo’ Principle’: The Sexual Economy of American Slavery.” Sister Circle: Black Women and Work, edited by Sharon Harley, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ, 2002. Buy here!
Diouf, Sylviane A. Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas. Buy here!
Lewis, Bernard. Race and Slavery in the Middle East: An Historical Enquiry. Oxford University Press, 1992. Buy here!
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Historically, race has been an extremely important & commonly used word in the last like 500 years. But, like all words, the history of the word race is complicated. You see, the contemporary definition of the word race just didn’t pop up out of nowhere. It’s changed quite a bit. In this video we explore the etymology and history of this word from Plato & Aristotle all the way to David Hume & Voltaire.
While civilized math has led to the high standard of living us in the most ‘advanced’ of countries, the countries which consider themselves first & foremost in world affairs, we should be mindful of the many ways civilized mathematics was used for horrible ways, especially along racial and ethnic lines, and against the working class as a whole.
Images include:
Trail of Tears in the U.S. The Mid-Atlantic Slave Trade Slave auctions in the U.S. Ledgers of transactions of enslaved people. The Holocaust. Jim Crow in the U.S. Redlining in the U.S. Mass incarceration in the U.S.
Some people say math is racist. So I looked through the history of mathematics only to find the shocking truth about math. How is math related to the type of society that uses it? How many different types of math are even out there? Can math be racist?
Special thanks to Dr. Peter Steeves of Depaul University for teaching a class on this subject.
On Thursday, June 26th, 2020 a small group of triggered geriatrics (mostly people of a colonial complexion) stood in front of the McLean County History Museum. Led by McLean County GOP Chair Connie Beard, they decried the creation of a boycott list of about 20 businesses in the Central Illinois Area. The boycott list was created in response to racial tensions in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and the surprising (and alleged) cultural shift in support of Black Liberation occurring nation wide. The businesses that made the list have a history of racist policies or the owners have a history of racist statements & behavior.
Connie Beard’s employer, Denbesten Real Estate, is on this list because of her outspoken support of President Trump. And, despite her support of some incredibly racist policies, she is adamant she is not racist. She even brought her black friend to prove it.1
“We are all one race. We are all one family and children of God,” Beard said. “To judge someone just on the color of their skin, to treat them differently, is not only foolish, it’s a sin.”
She blamed the creation & distribution of this list on Ward 6 Bloomington Alderperson Jen Carrillo. However, this is
FAKE NEWS!
Carrillo has stated multiple times she had nothing to do with the list. When asked whether she had any proof, Beard said, “I’m not saying she’s lying about creating the list. I’m saying, elected officials should not encourage or promote such damaging action to businesses in our community.”
Typical triggered conservatives. They don’t care about facts, only feelings.
But, that’s not how America works. Even politicians have free speech rights. Boycotting is a proud American tradition. Colonists routinely boycotted British goods & taxes in colonial America. It led to American Independence. American’s also have a strong tradition of boycotting racism. What does Beard think civil rights leaders were doing during the fifties? Has she never heard of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
(I’d also like to point out most of these people couldn’t be bothered to wear masks, even though COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing. This is the exact same group of covidiots demanding we open up the economy early and saying Americans are responsible enough; yet, they can’t even be responsible enough to wear masks at a press conference.)2
Covidiots
Beard also decried efforts to defund the police. Typical big government conservatives. Just like they want government to control your reproduction, they want to support overbloated police budgets, increased militarization of the police, & our byzantine criminal justice system that disproportionately oppresses people of color. So much for fiscal conservatism, I guess.
Perhaps the most hypocritical facet of this Coronavirus spreading spectacle is these are the same people who fetishize the freedom of the market above all else. Yet, when consumers choose how to spend their dollars in anti-racist ways, these right-wing types start begging for entitlements from society: freedom from criticism. Sorry snowflakes: freedom means the right to free speech & opinion, but not the right to be free of responsibilities. Maybe ya’ll should get some personal responsibility & reflect on why people think you might have racist opinions.
