I’ve been thinking about the slavery of Africans in the West.
I imagine you U.S. readers learned in grade school social studies classes about slavery in the U.S. You may have read the words of slaves and abolitionists. You may have watched Roots, or even read the novel. But how often are you reminded of the centuries-long horror that was the slavery of Africans in the United States? By comparison, how often do you have brought to mind the Holocaust of World War II? I’d guess you think seldom of the former, but rather often of the latter.
Do you think about African slavery during Black History Month? Do you think about it on Juneteenth? (Do you know what Juneteenth is? When it is?) On Presidents Day? One of the presidents being celebrated is Lincoln, you know.
Do you think about the Holocaust any time WWII is mentioned? Or Hitler? Or Israel? Have you noticed just how often that is?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m no Jew hater. The Jews have suffered and suffer still. Their story should be heard and remembered. The horror they have suffered for millennia should not be repeated.
All the same can be said about Africans.