Bridging The Divide: Roots Of Racism

An in depth look into Black oppression, beginning in 1619.

TIPPING POINT.BUT IN REALITY THE CALLS FORCHANGE AND EQUALITY STARTEDLONG BEFORE THAT.RACIAL TENSIONS HAVE BEENSIMMERING SINCE THE VERYBEGINNINGS OF THE UNITEDSTATES.13 ACTION NEWS CONTINUES OURONGOING DIALOGUE ABOUT RACEWE CALL IT BRIDGING THE DIVIDE.PKG: (NAT) "WHAT TO THEAMERICAN SLAVE, IS YOUR 4TH OFJULY?" DR.TYLER D.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "THE STUDY OFHISTORY IS ONE OF COMPETINGNARRATIVES ONE THING THAT ITHINK PEOPLE DON'T RECOGNIZEABOUT THIS COUNTRY IS AFTERSLAVERY ENDED THIS COUNTRYBOUGHT INTO AN IDEA ABOUTSLAVERY THAT WAS CRAFTED BYSLAVE TRADE HOLDERS." THESUMMER OF 1619 WAS ETCHED INAMERICAN HISTORY BOOKS AS THEFIRST RECORDED ARRIVAL OFENSLAVED AFRICANS IN WHAT ISTHE UNITED STATES TODAY.BUT, THAT JOURNEY WAS ONLY ATURNING POINT IN TWO AND HALFCENTURIES OF SLAVERY IN NORTHAMERICA THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADEBEGAN LONGBEFORE THAT IN EUROPEANCOLONIES.DR.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "MOST PEOPLESUGGEST THAT THE CODIFICATIONOF RACISM IN THE UNITED STATESBEGINS IN THE LATE 17TH CENTURYAND IS FIRMLY GROUNDED BY THEBEGINNING OF THE 1700'S"HISTORY TELLS US THAT IN LATEAUGUST OF 1619 AFRICANS WEREKIDNAPPED FROM THEIR VILLAGESIN WHAT IS PRESENT DAY ANGOLA.TAKEN BY PORTUGUESE SLAVETRADERS AND FORCED ONTO A SHIPBOUND FOR WHAT EUROPEANS CALLED"THE NEW WORLD" -- ONTO THESHORES OF JAMESTOWN VIRGINIA.IT WAS THERE A SHIP KNOWN ASTHE WHITE LION BROUGHT '20AND ODD NEGROES'TYLER D.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICANAMERICAN AND AFRICAN DIASPORASTUDIES "WHAT MAKES THE BONDAGEUNIQUE IN THE AMERICAS IS THATIT WAS DETERMINED ONLY PEOPLEOF AFRICAN DESCENT WERE INENSLAVED SO WHATEVER SUFFERINGFROM THE IRISH THE ITALIANS ORANY OTHER WHITE ETHNIC GROUPSSUFFERED IN THIS COUNTRY IT WASNOTHING COMPARED TO THE FACTTHAT ONLY THE ENSLAVABLE PEOPLEWERE DETERMINED TO BE BLACK."INSIDE THE SLAVE SHIPS REVEALEDAN UGLY TRUTH -- RIGGED BYINHUMANECONDITIONS -- CAPTIVES WERESTRIPPED NAKED, BEATEN ANDBOUND BY SHACKLES.EXPERTS SAY FROM 1501 TO 1867MORE THAN 12 MILLION AFRICANSWERE CAPTURED, RIPPED FROMTHEIR FAMILIES, SOLD ANDTRANSPORTED TO AMERICA.MANY AFRICANS DIED ON THEVOYAGE FROM MALNUTRITION ANDDISEASE.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "ENSLAVEDPEOPLE WERE NOT ONLY BROKENMENTALLY THEY WERE BROKENSPIRITUALLY." THE CONDITIONSOF SLAVERY WERE BRUTAL.BLACKS WERE PROHIBITED TOLEARN, READ AND WRITE.THEY WERE NOT CONSIDERED HUMANBEINGS BUT RATHER PROPERTY OFTHEIR MASTERS.AND OFTEN BEATEN WITH WHIPS,SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AND MENTALLYABUSED.(NAT SOUND) DR.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "RECENTLY HBOCANCELLED GONE WITH THE WINDBECAUSE IT DOESN'T REPRESENT AMODERN UNDERSTANDING OF RACEAND THECIVIL WAR.AND ONE OF THE REASONS THATMOVIE WAS SO POPULAR IN IT'SHAY DAY BECAUSE THAT WAS THENARRATIVE THAT MADE WHITEPEOPLE SO COMFORTABLE.THE MEMORIES OF FORMER SLAVEHOLDERS AND THE PUBLICATIONSTHAT THEY RELEASED ALL TALKEDABOUT HOW BININE SLAVERY WASHOW FRIENDLY WHITE SOUTHERNERSWERE WITH BLACK SOUTHERNS ANDBLACK SLAVES LOVED THEIR MASTERFOR A VERY LONG TIME THAT WASTHE NARRATIVE." WITH CASHCROPS OF TOBACCO, COTTON ANDSUGAR, SOUTHERN STATES BECAME ALUCRATIVE BUSINESS IN THE 17THAND 18TH CENTURY.BLACK SLAVES WERE THEIR FUEL.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "THERE WAS ANINTENTIONABLEDISTINCTION BETWEEN WHAT THEYCALLED PRIVILEGE SLAVES AGAINSTWHO WERE THOSE IN THE FIELDSAND COMPLEXION CAME INTO PLAYAS WELL." (NAT SOUND - MALCOM XSPEECH) BLACK STEREOTYPESSTEM FROM THE DAYS OF SLAVERYAND CONTINUE TO PLAY ASIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SHAPINGATTITUDES TOWARD BLACK MEN ANDWOMEN TODAY.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "THERE WASTHIS ASSOCIATION IN THE 18THCENTURY BETWEEN APES AND BLACKPEOPLE THAT EVEN THE FOUNDINGFATHER OF THE COUNTRY THOMASJEFFERSON, A SLAVE OWNERHIMSELF AND AN ABUSER OFENSLAVED PEOPLE WROTE IN HISNOTES AS AN AUTHORITATIVESOURCE.SO THESE ARE VERY DEEP ROOTSTHAT THE TOP OFFICIALS IN THEU-S GOVERNMENT BOUGHT INTO.""WHAT WE ARE FINDING IN THEPERCEIVED THREATS OF BLACK MENIS THAT THIS STARTS VERY EARLY.IF YOU READ THE JOURNALS OFSLAVE TRADERS FROM EUROPE WHOWENT INTO WESTERN AFRICA THEWAY THEY DESCRIBED THEIR BODIESAND THIS PERCEIVED SEXUALPROWLEST OF BLACK MEN WHICH ISATTACHED TO THAT ANIMALIZATION.THISIDEA THAT THEY WEREUNRESTRAINED IN THEIRAPPETITES." BY THE 1830S TO THE1860S -- THE SHACKLES ON BLACKLIVES STARTED TO RUST...THE MOVEMENT TO ABOLISH SLAVERYIN AMERICA WAS HEARD.IT WAS ON JUNE 19TH 1865 THATUNION SOLDIERS LANDED IN TEXASWITH WORD THATTHE WAR HAD ENDED AND THEENSLAVED WERE NOW FREE -- TWOAND HALF YEARS AFTER PRESIDENTABRAHAM LINCOLN SIGNED THEEMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.AND AS SLAVERY AND THE CIVILWAR ENDED -- A PROMISE WASMADE BY THE U-S GOVERNMENT.THE PHRASE "FORTY ACRES AND AMULE" WAS MEANT TO REDISTRIBUTELAND TO BLACKS WHO HAD SUFFEREDECONOMICALLY, MENTALLY, ANDPHYSICALLY THROUGH SLAVERY.PARRY UNLV ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICANDIASPORA STUDIES "THE THINGABOUT THE 40 ACRES AND A MULEIS ONE THING THAT ISMISUNDERSTOOD IS THAT SOMEPEOPLE DID GET IT AND THEN ITWAS TAKEN AWAY SO IT WASANOTHER SERIES OF FALSEPROMISES THAT THE US GOVERNMENTHAS PROPOSED GIVEN A LITTLE BITAND THEY'VE ALWAYS DONE THISUNDER THE COMPLAINTS UNDERWHITE SOCIETY." (NAT) "THEFOURTH OF JULY IS YOURS, NOTMINE, YOU MAY REJOICE, I MUSTMOURN." THE FAILED PROMISE BY13 ACTION NEWS WILL CONTINUEOUR ONGOING DIALOGUE ABOUT"RACE.IN PART TWO OF UNDERSTANDINGTHE OPPRESSED AND RACISM --WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT HOW JIMCROW LAWS SHAPED AMERICA.GOOD MORNING LAS VEGAS..STILL AHEAD THISMORNING...