Hundreds of millions of people were affected by slavery
Submitted by Rose

African people are still suffering from the effects of slavery
Submitted by Robert

African people have lost their identity
Submitted by Kwame

Hundreds of millions of people were affected by slavery

Over One Hundred Million people died during the 400 year long atrocity.

We died in our villages
We died when they came to rob and pillage
We died to evade capture
We died on the way to slave Castles
We died waiting in the slave Castles
We died on the Ships
We died in the seas
We died for insurance
We died on Plantations
We died because living was too painful
We died for freedom

Ah, sigh.
We got our freedom
But wait,

We died for independence
We died in Kangaroo courts
We died for going to White schools
We died for sitting on the wrong side of the bus
We died at Police stations
We died to entertain lynch mobs
We died for medical experiments
We died for Civil Rights
We died for Equality

Our struggle continues

Submitted by Rose

IWTR Says: Yes, it still continues.

African people are still suffering from the effects of slavery

The speech of a white slave owner, Willie Lynch, best illustrates the lingering effects of the slave trade.

Step into the shoes of a person whose family have been enslaved for generations. You are constantly bombarded with derogatory remarks, treated worse than dogs, the scope of your understanding of the world revolves around life as a slave on a plantation. You are called a boy all of your life. You have no parental rights. You live to keep your master happy. What chance have you got of bringing your child up properly after you have been freed.

Africans have inherited the trauma of their enslaved Africans.

Submitted by Robert

IWTR Says: Every one should read the speech by Willie Lynch.

African people have lost their identity

Africans in the Diaspora have lost their identity. Our tongues were cut off if we attempted to speak our own language. Our hand was cut of if we played our traditional music. Our names were changed. The names of our clans (tribe) have been forgotten. Our Clothes are European. Our hair is like Europeans, Our Belief system is European.

A lot of people Africans and Europeans would say none of the above really matter. On the surface it does not sound too bad but:

Language helps to creates our reality, for example
take English for example the word Black ….. is used define anything bad or evil. So you could easily deduce that Black people were once evil. Language can affect the way we think.

Gone are the days when a slave master used red hot iron to brand his slave with the mark of his plantation. Our surnames Johnson, Wisdom, Henry and Beckford can now tell us which plantation we came from. The frame of reference used by Africans in the diaspora for their existence on this world is their branded names. Our history can only be traced back to our branding. I can’t express how destructive this is.

I was almost in tears when I saw pictures of a Chinese traditional festival. Their clothes were colourful and vibrant, their dance was invigorating and unique and their ceremonies were astounding all of which have been around for thousands of years.

I felt like a victim robbed of a proud heritage. My language, name and traditions are only up to 400 years old it can be best described as a handout from our slave master.

Submitted by Kwame

IWTR says: It is really disturbing when the the people of such a tragic past try to ignore their trauma. It is a catch 22 because trauma by nature is something we try to forget or ignore. Its can be very distressing opening up old wounds but it is necessary to check for any derogatory infections we may have inherited.