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American chattel slavery was inhumane and evil. And profitable. Its lasting implications still affect us today. Here's why we can never fall for the slavery "wasn't that bad" lie.
Slavery reality #1: Millions died: The transatlantic slave trade is the most significant loss of human life among all long-distance global migrations. Over two million kidnapped Africans died during the journey to the Americas.
Slavery reality #2: Slavery Was Inherently violent: No version of slavery can be framed as anything other than violent, and it goes beyond physical punishment. Plantation work exposed the enslaved to diseases and required the use of hazardous equipment that posed a constant threat to their lives. Enslaved women and girls were regularly sexually assaulted and forced to breed to pad enslavers' pockets. And it doesn't end there. Historians have proven that enslavers engaged in cannibalizing Black bodies.
Slavery reality #3: The Enslaved Built America: Without the free labor of enslaved people for more than two centuries, the U.S. wouldn't be the global economic superpower it is today. In 1860, 4 million Black people were enslaved and were worth more than every bank, factory, and railroad combined, according to economists. So yes, slavery was beyond "bad."
While anti-Black people and policies try hard to erase our history so they can erase our rights, we must never fall for their lies or forget whose shoulders we stand on.