The Color of History, and the Color of Money

If you study currency around the world you'll find that countries tend to depict the images of their economic strength on paper, and coins. In England, the monarchy is pictured on British money as a symbol of power. In Iran, you'll see pictures of agricultural production, and so on. The point is that countries are proud of the resources that drive their economies.

In the early 1800's, American cotton production was an integral part of the  economy, and the images of enslaved Africans were shown, primarily, on Confederate and Southern currency. The images of slave labor validate the contribution of African Americans to the economy, overall .  

The picture below is graphic artist John W. Jones', "Slave Carrying Cotton", which is shown on 21 different bills of currency. For example, the bill below is from Louisiana. In all, there are 126 such slave images on Confederate and Southern bills.

                                             

The images are from Mr. Jones' book, Confederate Currency: The Color of Money. He discovered them, while working as a graphic artist, when one of his customers asked him to enlarge a bank note

Poet George Moses Horton, first to Protest His Enslavement in Print

Born in 1797, and called the "Black Bard of North Carolina",
poet & author, George Moses Horton was an entrepreneur as much as he was a writer. Although enslaved, he earned enough money selling his writings to buy his freedom, but his "owner" would not allow it. Horton was too valuable an employee to the plantation owner to be set free, a situation that was not uncommon.

Horton left no doubt, however, about his feelings towards slavery. Here is

Give Thanks to The "Real McCoy", and Many Other Black Inventors

Black Canadian-American engineer/inventor Elijah McCoy (1844-1929), a free Black man, had fifty-seven US patents to his name. Most notably, he invented an automatic lubrication system for the steam engines of locomotives and ships that allowed the engines to run for longer periods of time. Previously, an engine's metal parts would over heat, so the engine had to be stopped, allowed to cool down and lubricated again before being put back into use. This was a huge waste of time, and money.

To be sure, there were similar mechanisms in wide use to address the problem of metal engine parts overheating. But, none of them worked as well as McCoy's. These lubricating systems were a boon for the railroads because they allowed trains to run faster without having to be stopped and cooled down. When railroad engineers wanted parts for lubricating their engines they would ask for

Historic Stagville: DNA in the Brickwork

I visited Stagville Plantation, twenty miles north of Durham, NC, about ten years ago. On the eve of the Civil War, it had been one of the largest plantations in the Antebellum South. In 1977 it opened as a museum under the auspices of the State of North Carolina, Division of Historic Sites.

You may have to steel yourself the first time you visit a plantation where your ancestors may have been held in bondage, tortured, murdered, or worked to death. Many myths, and outright lies, have been used to describe what happened in such places. However, the courage, ingenuity and determination required to survive during slavery is the stuff of legend. Enslaved Africans weren't supposed to have those qualities, which is probably why this part of history has never been taught in American schools. 

Stagville had approximately 900 enslaved Africans, working almost

Slavery in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Did you know that the United Nations (UN) does this report every year, listing countries that are the most egregious violators of human rights? Countries still involved in the slave trade, even today. I didn't either. But, while waiting for an appointment in an office lobby several years ago, I picked a copy of Fortune Magazine, to pass the time.  

As I browsed the magazine's topics I focused in on the UN's report on Worldwide Slavery. And, this was decades before the CNN reports on human trafficking.  I was surprised to see that Albania, in eastern Europe, was the number one violator that year(2003). After a few minutes I was called in for my meeting , however, I did come away with one fact revealing fact. That being, for centuries most  countries, cultures, and civilizations, at some point enslaved,  and sold, not only other people, but also their own.  

Slavery has been extremely profitable, and built dynasties over several hundred years. Exports of slaves from Japan were recorded in the third century. Throughout pre-modern history slavery came in, and, out of favor in China. And, sadly, today slavery is still rife all over the globe.

Now, the notion we've been feed in America is that people with dark skin were considered slaves no matter what their station in life, their education and training, or religion. Blacks were considered inferior to whites in every way. That was their destiny, with no hope of ever improving.

I bring this up because, in discussions about slavery and race over the years somebody always says "...well, how come Africans sold their own people into slavery"? I would ask those who say that to look at the history of their own ancestors. And that, takes courage.

Our Spirit Comes From our Ancestors, It's Up to Us to Make the Connection

Someone once said, "...our children hate us because we haven't told them about their ancestors". That someone was, Mia Angelou. 

I have to agree. Many people of African descent have such disdain for their history to the extent that they forbid their children from even talking about the subject. Some of this comes from shame, some from the continuing negative broad brush we've been painted with, and some from rank indifference. 

But, we are not alone when it comes to things in the past we'd like to forget. All civilizations throughout history have had hardships, been defeated in wars, enslaved by conquering enemies, etc. And, even though many countries still suffer some effects of their past, most do not hide the brutal facts from their children. Those discussions become part of the healing process to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself.

The history of the Americas, as it relates to slavery, contains thousands of examples of everything from bravery to ingenuity on the part of Africans, both enslaved and free. We need to take our heads out of the sand and, as the great Olympian Jesse Owens has said, "Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it, and you'll start believing in it".

This is what we must teach our children.

Michael Baisden Reminds All of US

Black History Means Black Responsibility

The most important lesson we can teach our children during Black History Month is that the color of their skin has an amazing story connected to it that began as the first people to walk the earth, whose technology built the Great Pyramids, and whose strength survived the brutality of slavery and Jim Crow. 

We must use the celebration of Black History Month to challenge them to create their own history. Our legacy only continues through them.

We have to ask ourselves, "Am I raising a future doctor or lawyer, or a future criminal or inmate? Am I setting an example that will create a better husband or wife, or a deadbeat and abuser?"

Parenting and mentoring is a powerful thing, you can nurture a genius or destroy a child's self esteem if you don't take your responsibility seriously.

Black History Month is about Black Struggle and Black Responsibility. Let's honor our ancestors by sacrificing for our children as much as they did for us.

Michael Baisden