Celebrating 16 Years of Truth Telling with Slavery by Another Name
Sixteen years ago, I knew nothing about the legacy of slavery that existed in the forms of involuntary servitude, convict leasing, and forced labor for thousands of Black Americans after the ratification of the 13th Amendment and well into the 20th century. I remember bits and pieces of information. I knew about sharecropping and had heard the word “peonage” but didn’t fully understand its meaning or its sinister revival in the late 19th and early to mid-20th centuries. It wasn’t until several years later, when I saw the documentary and then read the book, Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, that the full impact of this chapter of history hit home. The words on the pages left an indelible mark on my soul and led me to look more closely at what other pieces of history I was missing.
An immense debt is owed to journalists who risk their lives to keep us informed and those who, through investigative reporting and writing, uncover and breathe new life into history that has long been forgotten, willfully ignored, or not given the attention and in-depth analysis it was due.
Today, 16 years after its publication, I thank Douglas A. Blackmon for compiling and writing this indispensable, soul-shattering account of the widespread neoslavery that operated in the shadows of emancipation and freedom. This book will leave you with no qualms about the inequality, intentional oppression, widespread corruption, and governmental disregard toward Black folks in the United States. This history lays bare the depravity, greed, and inhumanity that the (Federal and State) institutions responsible for upholding the laws and dispensing justice- have inflicted upon Black Americans and continue to do so to this day.
Unfortunately, the contents of this book don’t just tell of a history of the far-distant past, but instead give insight into a playbook that is still being used today. This is the imperative nature of history – if you don’t know the truth of what was done, you won’t know what to fight against when history tries to repeat itself. The relevance to present day reality is horrifying, as illustrated in corporate involvement and exploitation of our prison populations; to the wealth of those who profited and continue to profit on the backs of some of our most vulnerable citizens; to the monuments and memorialization of those who were so brutal in their pursuit of financial gain at the expense of mainly Black lives are still celebrated to this day. Let us never forget this history and the modern-day reminders of its legacy.
In the epilogue, the author, Douglas A. Blackmon states, “As painful as it may be to plow the past, among the ephemera left behind by generations crushed in the wheels of American white supremacy are telling explanations for the fissures that still thread our society. In fact, these events explain more about the current state of American life, Black and white, than the antebellum slavery that preceded.”
If you have not read the book, I encourage you to do so. It is an emotionally taxing read, so prepare yourself. Take breaks and put it down when needed, but always pick it back up (if you can). Also, take note of the figures in the stories, Black and non-Black. Some risked their lives to seek justice for those who couldn’t seek it for themselves. Others sided with the upholders of white supremacy and helped the very system that confined them…as it is still to this day. We fight not only against flesh and blood but against the stronghold of ideologies that give power to these systems.
No one can know it all, or be an expert on all things, especially historical atrocities such as this. However, the work of diligent and talented journalists, authors, and scholars allows us to accelerate our knowledge of these topics and operate from a more informed, watchful, and empathic place. Let our learning not be in vain.
This is Part I of a series discussing and analyzing Mass Incarceration, its origins, and impacts.