We’re No One’s Slaves

Kelvin Carter | Staff Writer

After reading an article written toward the black community a couple of years ago, it seemed that some kind of response should have been made. A chain letter message circulated around the web years ago entitled “They Are Still Our Slaves.: In this article the author mentions three words that he claims can and still contains black people. Though black people are not in physical slavery they allow themselves to be oppressed through their own flaws and mistakes.

First it mentioned black people are contained by IGNORANCE. The article quoted and said, “The best way to hide something from black people is to put it in a book.” He then states that we live in the Information Age where much information can be accessed in books located at any bookstore. In addition to this, the author claims that we just choose not to read. The author should be reminded that we are also in the Digital Age where we have access to obtain our knowledge online, through e-books, encyclopedia, and even social media. The definition of IGNORANCE is the lack of knowledge or training. If history is correct, it’s proven that slaves were the ones with the training and knowledge to raise a plantation on their own. Blacks are not ignorant enough to fight for our rights and equality. Blacks were also not ignorant enough to go to the polls to help VOTE (reading a ballot) our current president into office. If this was a reference to the disproportionate number of black people not knowing how to read then a much better word would have been illiterate.

The next power of containment this author claimed bounds black people is GREED. He mentions, that ever “since the abolition of slavery black people have had the disposal of money at their disposal.” He states that black people have spent 10 billion dollars during Christmas. He states how black people spend the majority of their money on clothing, shoes, and cars. He states statistics for black people, however yet fails to compare this to any other race. The definition of greed is the excessive or rapacious desire. The world as a whole has a desire. That desire is happiness. We all strive to be happy through living, whether that means buying our wants and/or buying our needs. The author failed to mention the different types of successful black owned companies and industries around the world. He didn’t realize that most successful black businesses are successful due to black people investing in each other. That is one thing black people have learned throughout time, we must help each other out.

The last power of containment the author referred to black people is SELFISHNESS. The author mentions words from W.E.B. DuBois mentioning the “Talented Tenth”. The author questions whether or not the talented 10% of our culture would achieve success, but what about the other non-talented ninety percent? The author talks about how instead of helping each other out to become successful black people are too selfish to work together. The author states that black people fail to realize that Together Each Achieves More (TEAM). This author believes that black people refuse to work together to obtain success, yet the author does not realize that black people are constantly working together to obtain their goals. As mentioned earlier one thing the black community has been taught, black people must help each other out. Just because the black community is not the dominate community does not mean black people have yet to reach a helping hand. One by one black people are changing the world, and the best way for these people to change our world is by the helping our neighbor.

Many more faults were found in this article as I continued to read. The author fails to mention the nation as one. This is the United States of America, many everyone is united and we all live to help and guide each other. This is nation is “The Melting Pot” meaning cultures mix together, people gather together to learn from one another. We should no longer look at each other as a different color but as a different person. People make mistakes and most learn from them and live to tell the next person what went wrong. The last three words anyone would want to describe anyone would be ignorance, greed, and selfishness, because you never know what someone is going through in their life that prevents them from being happy. If this author believes that black people are still slaves then I believe that slaves are only products of their masters.