Of course this new-found little-talked-about Black history tidbit is noted in a social-conservative pledge known as “The Marriage Vow – A Declaration of Dependence upon Marriage and Family”. You know, some form of Christian conservative gibberish like the following:
Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American President. (source)
I have read the document and I do not think it is pro-Slavery! I know however it's historically and culturally inaccurate. I think it is what is making people upset is that it appears to be saying that single-mothers are a modern thing and during slavery all black children had both parents. Anyone who knows history knows that in America slaves sometimes couldn't marry. Sometimes marriages were arranged despite what the man and/or women wanted. Sometimes families were split up - husbands, wives, and children sold away from one another like cattle. My own family experienced such horrors. Way to make a stable family. I understood the document as trying to say that there were more intact families in the black community than today. This isn't true. But it is true that across the board all races in the America have failed to maintain their families. In black families we can't place all the blame on slavery but it didn't help in any shape or form. I don't look at the document as saying things were better for black children during slavery. I think that they are trying to say that as bad as things were for us that things, they are worse because we have so many children growing up without both parents for no good reason - mostly because men will not be responsible for their children. I say that because my father broke that trend. I am taking care of my children, sticking to my wife, just as my father does. We can do better. We must do better. I think that the pledge is racist. Family problems in other races are not really singled out. Just the black community. As if they wanted to say "See, electing a black man didn't help you." Being a bad parent has nothing to do with race but the condition of your heart. The things that the pledge asks people to do to protect marriage are good ideas. I just which they had added to "check out your history before you speak about stuff you don't know anything about."
Baratunde: Michelle Bachmann is running for president on a pro-slavery, anti-porn platform? | The Angry Black Woman
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