Those attempting to erase us are hellbent on making us believe we should "get over" history. The gag is that there's no getting over something that's STILL benefiting these three popular companies: slavery.
1. Brooks Brothers
What we know today is that an all-American clothing "heritage" brand has early ties to slavery. Brooks Brothers benefited from the slave trade by making clothes for the enslaved. Enslavers used that clothing to "reward" their most productive enslaved people.
2. JP Morgan Chase
One of the U.S.'s largest banks had procedures that accepted enslaved people as collateral for loans. When plantation owners defaulted on their loan payments, the banks took ownership of their enslaved persons.
3. New York Life
Before enslaved people ever touched this land, insurance companies were involved in their capture. Enslavers took out policies to protect themselves against boat sinkings or losing enslaved people. Today's popular insurance companies, like New York Life and Aetna, once sold policies to enslavers who'd be compensated if an enslaved person were injured or killed.
Please make no mistake: These companies, the U.S, and other colonial powers would not even exist without the labor of our enslaved ancestors. It’s worth stopping to consider supporting our own people before giving our hard-earned money to companies that profited from our pain.
White supremacists continue to try to erase our history. Still, we must divest from all things anti-Black, know and share our history, and focus on building a liberated Black future.