Black Racism
This is the first in a series of articles about racism.
Racism is a cold dark place where life cannot thrive. It lives in the hearts of most people. Unfortunately. For most people.
Racism in its mildest form sees other people through the superficial filter of race. No hatred need be involved. Believing that racial characteristics affect the quality of character displays a basic ignorance of human nature. It also deprives us of the abilities to see beauty and discover wisdom.
Black Americans (people with dark skin who have traces of African ancestry) often speak of slavery as an evil perpetrated by white people. Slavery was a monumental evil that caused unimaginable misery. White people were deeply and broadly involved in supporting and promoting slavery. Many Black Africans were also directly responsible for the slave trade and all that it implies.
After the initial surprise of the first slave raiders (from Portugal), the Africans mounted effective resistance and beat the raiders back. The Africans had better boats, knew the territory and the waters much better and displayed clever tactical maneuverability and fierce courage. The European aggressors were simply no match for the native defenders.
The raiders did not give up. They shed their raider skin and returned as traders. If anyone said, “Beware of Europeans bearing gifts.” the Africans receiving the gifts didn’t seem to hear. Trading things for people opened the door to the well-stocked slave shop. Over the next three centuries the slave trade would kill millions upon millions of Africans and enslave millions and millions of others. Africans and their obedient gangs of slave hunters killed and rounded up other Africans who they served packaged in ropes, chains and cages to the European traders. The slave trade, this monumental evil devouring some 20 million people over hundreds of years could not have been possible without the willing and active participation of generations of Black Africans.
Viewing slavery as a crime of White people is a dim view. So dim that is nearly blind. And it’s racist. Money puts people in chains. Money. As long as we allow ourselves to be blinded and driven by racist perspectives, the moneyed rulers will remain enthroned in positions of power. Until we learn to see each other as people—equals—regardless of the superficial differences of our appearance (or our nationality, religion or sex), we will remain the subjects and slaves of “traders” who view people as commodities.
Racism is a cold and dark place. It can be found anywhere. Even in the warm light of beautiful Africa.
System Humanity 
You’re right. It goes a lot deeper than that. Too deep for this dialogue form. Racism is prejudice based on race. The prejudice based on religion, nationality, sex, ethnicity, whatever can be just as horrible and deadly.
Nice article. I agree that slave traders were ‘white’ and ‘black’. But slaves were black Africans. That we cannot change.
Racism always harvests victims. Sometimes they are black, sometimes red, sometimes yellow, sometimes white. Sometime they are many, sometimes a few. And it’s not always about race. Stay tumed for the second article in this series, White Racism.
Yes, well it goes a bit deeper than that. If its not about race it is not racism but prejudice.
A common misconseption is that ALL slaves in America were Blacks imported from Africa when the truth is there were slaves of all colors, including white, in Colonial America and the early United States. Slavery continues to this day here with the majority being Asians and Latinos.
The point of the article was to expose racism, but thanks for pointing out that slaves have been and continue to be multiracial. The private prison system in the US today exploits many prisoners as slave labor, most of them Black.
I am not sure where ”here” is but America is not the only country in the world. When you assert that slaves in Colonial America were white, an ethnic group or groups is needed, also a clearer definition of slavery. The term ‘Colonial America’ is already open to dispute. Thanks ‘Someone’, if that is the name you have chosen.
John told his friend that he had a wonderful dream about God.
His friend asked: What did he look like?
John answered: She was black!
Why was the dream wonderful?