withoutsanctuary.org

[pavielle_86]

I have just finished taking in the content of this website and I must say that I was moved emotionally. I was angry and I had questions of the humanity of men but at the same time I am not shocked that such hatred occurred. This country has a long terrible past of enslaving and excluding those who were thought to be less intelligent, animals, or inferior. All of this based on the color of the skin. I have also tuned into the forums to hear what people have had to say. Some share my opinions while others did not, but still I was interested in hearing what everyone had to say. I have come across many posts that talk about leaving the past in the past and forgetting about it. But that is better said than done. Although I believe that letting go of the past makes way for a better future I am not inclined to believe that in the case of black enslavement and segregation. I feel like our country wants to forget about how the majority of africans came to be in America, rather to talk about this great land of democracy and freedom, about our great founding fathers and that all men are created equal.... but only if you belonged to the superior group which in this time where white.

As of student of history, the past is ever important to the present. We, in some ways, derive certains things about our lives and traditions from the past. We look at how those in the past lived and in some ways incorporate it into our present lives. As a black female I look at the past experiences of black women and men who have fought hard and sometimes to the death to gain equality and respect as human beings. I look at those slaves who dared to revolt and start an uprising in the name of humanity. Then I think about the fact that many historical textbooks that I had growing up made little or no mention of all of these men and women, truth ommitted. Then I think about younger black children and what would happen if they had no awareness of the past, their past.???

People like to think that issues of race are not important today, but they are all you have to do is turn on the news and see black pitted against white or other races. "Can't we all just get along?" and passing the blame around is going to do absolutely nothing about this issue that we are still facing in this country. Talk, real and raw is what is needed. Also people needed to read about the past. Take some time to read about the lives of oppressed peoples in this country. Get a real understanding about the American past in black and white. Don't limit yourself to what you have learned in a high school history book, more than likely the whole truth is not presented. I challenge you to seek the Truth.