this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2023
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Today I Learned

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The state of California is considering giving the descendants of slaves $1.2m each.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But how precisely did this happen? What agency was responsible and how was it... Acted upon? I'm trying to imagine this as a city worker, like was there a responsible crew for doing this? Who gave the initial order for it?

[โ€“] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

how precisely did this happen

Systemic racism.

When some people aren't considered people at all, socially nor legally, this kind of violence isn't really that big of a leap for many to make (still today, but especially when it was the social and cultural norm).

And this is just a single example out of probably millions in the same vein (here is one list of many with some of the more extreme examples, and only from the US, but the more you dig, the more you find).

Remember - white supremacy isn't the shark, it's the water, and we are absolutely not rid of the systems that allowed that kind of thing to happen then, and still allow it today. Hell people are still burning crosses in their Black neighbours' yards (or shooting them through a closed door), not to mention the systemic aspects like cops killing and abusing Black people without any repercussions, or the prison industrial complex which is essentially modern day slavery.

This is why it's so important to learn actual history, and not just the whitewashed version approved by those with all the power looking to maintain the status quo.