Carry-over Effects of Slavery: Barriers to achieving unity. “Slavery has never been abolished from America’s way of thinking.” ~Nina Simone

Carry-Over Effects Characteristics or traditions due to an EVENT that is passed down through generations. Any group of people can have carry over effects BUT …

Food Traditional Food – Much of the food consistently consumed in black culture was derived out of self-preservation efforts during slavery.  The slave masters generally consumed the lean and fleshy parts of farm animals, and left the scraps for the enslaved. Enslaved Africans were forced to incorporate those leftovers – such as chitterlings, ox tails, tripe, pig’s feet, cow foot, CHICKEN FEET and other foods high in fat and little to no nutrition – into their daily meals. Though soul food originated in the South, soul food restaurants — from fried chicken and fish "shacks" to upscale dining establishments-are in nearly every community in the nation, especially in cities with large black populations. [Profited] ( Soul Food: A Brief History)

Food Shorter life expectancy Food Related Illnesses: Higher rates of obesity in black communities. 75 % of the black community is obese and suffer from diet related illnesses (The State of Obesity, 2014). Shorter life expectancy

Economics Black people were forced to work without pay for over 2 centuries. Disenfranchised through sharecropping for over 100 years after being ‘emancipated’ (1863-1965). Currently discriminated against in the work force - Results found that résumés with white-sounding names received 50 percent more callbacks than those with black names, indicating race is still an important factor in the American labor market. Discrimination in the Job Market in the United States (Bertrand, Marianne. Millainathan, Sendhil. )

Economics Essentially black people have been disenfranchised their entire ‘existence’ in the United States. Majority of the income of black people is spent outside of the black community.

SELF HATE Propaganda Competing with each other Light vs Dark Skin - COLORISM [Race Hierarchy- which have been the source of genocide in Africa for centuries following colonization] Hating each other- violence within the community- black on black crime

Breakdown of the black nuclear FAMILY Following slavery, blacks imitated white people by adopting a patriarchal family model in which the black man was supposed to be the head of the household. The man not being able to provide during the period of reconstruction and Jim Crowe led to extreme pressures on the black man that often led to abandonment, addictions, mental disorders, violence, etc. Resulted in complexities in black love: Also created resentment towards the black man from the black woman. [ On top of the conditioning to hate ones self and to hate each other (Which I see a lot of currently).(Delores Williams – Sisters in the Wilderness)

Breakdown of the Black Nuclear FAMILY Black men spreading their seed – Sex farms where the men chosen for breeding could produce over 200 offspring. Today 72 % of black children are born outside of wedlock.( Center for disease Control) Women provide most leadership in households or ‘head of household’- husbands sold during slavery. TRAUMA- learning your own history can trigger trauma- adding to your own trauma [police brutality videos].

Idolizing white people Through colonization, elevating white as good, Evangelical doctrines in Christianity, propaganda Neglecting our own experiences Suppressing feelings Complying with white fragility – (protectionism- sugar coating things to protect feelings of white people- Undoing Institutional Racism training) Internalized inferiority (depression)

Idolizing white people Mental health challenges that are stigmatized. Anger or other prolonged stress is linked with increased cancer likelihood (Puna Wai Ora Mind-Body Cancer Clinic, 2006-2016)

Solutions? There is no single solution, but room for many. First step is to be aware and educated about these invisible forces. Affinity groups