PowerPoint Presentation
Psychological impact of slavery
Explores some of the lasting psychological effects of the 500
years of slavery. Dr Asantewa highlights how African people, both
on the continent and the diaspora, continue to struggle for
self-determination and sense of self worth, and reflects on the
value of human progress and development. Dr Michelle Yaa
Asantewa
When Britain first, at Heaven's commandArose from out the azure
main;This was the charter of the land,And guardian angels sang this
strainRule, Britannia! rule the waves:Britons never will be
slaves.To thee belongs the rural reign;Thy cities shall with
commerce shine:All thine shall be the subject main, And every shore
it circles thine.Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:Britons never will
be slaves.
from poem by James Thompson (The Tragedy of Sophinisaba)
Sophonisaba of Carthage Commits suicide over enslavement by
RomansThe rulers/Might/superior
The ruled/powerless/inferiorMental Chains around his feetDuring
the 17th Century the English generally believed that black Africans
were an inferior peopleEncoded in Laws and customsGoverning the
bodies of AfricansWritings on slave trade constitute CULTURAL
AUTHORITYSlavery/slave trade justifiable The notion that Africans
were non-human, or sub-human at best, and that their right to
humanity could be denied and ignored was an intellectual construct
that required considerable literary focus and sustained
articulation Sir Hilary Beckles, Britains Black Debt
Philanthropy/InheritanceEdward ColstonBristolMade Profits from
slave tradeExchanged copper, glass from England for
humansCredited/landed purchases property & Reputation -
charitable works (schools, churches)Memorial streets named after
him and own statueDonates 10 million to Bristol = gentleman
The tale of the Beckford fortune epitomises the idea of the
absentee plantation owner using wealth, built from slavery, to
establish a position in British society with buildings and
collections that are the status symbols of an educated, cultured
and civilised Gentleman.Amy Frost, Big Spenders the Beckfords and
Slavery
African memorialsFonthill House'I who was born a Pagan and a
SlaveNow sweetly sleep a Christian in my grave,What tho' my hue was
dark, my Saviour's sightShall change this darkness into radiant
light.Such grace to me my Lord on earth hath givenTo recommend me
to my Lord in heavenWhose glorious second coming here I waitWith
saints and angels His to celebrate.
Found on the grave of Scipio Africanus (d.18), Servant of
seventh Earl of Suffolk, at Henley Church, Bristol
Where is our history?
joydegruy.comP.T.S.S. is a theory that explains the etiology of
many of the adaptive survival behaviors in African American
communities throughout the United States and the Diaspora. It is a
condition that exists as a consequence of multigenerational
oppression of Africans and their descendants resulting from
centuries of chattel slavery. A form of slavery which was
predicated on the belief that African Americans were
inherently/genetically inferior to whites. This was then followed
by institutionalized racism which continues to perpetuate
injury.
Thus, resulting inM.A.P.:
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome
M:Multigenerational trauma together with continued
oppression;
A:Absence of opportunity to heal or access the benefits
available in the society; leads to
P:Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome.
Images of self and identityLow or vacant self esteemLack of self
beliefPerpetual feelings of depressionAppearance linked to
colourDestructive outlook (rather than aspirational)Maladaptive
behavioursLack confidence (overconfident)Strong black
womanLazy/oversexualised black man (people)Racist socialisation
Images of self and identityPropensity for anger
violenceInternalised self hatredCultural alienation
(black/African/Caribbean)Triple oppression racism/sexism/class
(black woman)hyersensivity (neurotic feelings of being
watched/observed)Victim hoodPoor educational aspirations
Eastenders?
Sexual Assault and Abusewhite male plantation owners, their
sons, brothers and other male acquaintances raped Black women
without fear of punishment. - desire/punishment. Black men also
sexually abused by slaveholders, and, sometimes, their
wives.http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/10/03/10-barbaric-and-heartbreaking-ways-enslaved-black-people-were-punished-by-their-slave-masters/Pouring
Salt into the Wound (Literally)Afterenslaved men and womenwere
whipped or beaten, overseers might order their wounds be burst and
rubbed with turpentine and red pepper. One overseer reportedly took
a brick, ground it into a powder, mixed it with lard and rubbed it
all over an enslaved Black person.WhippingThe whip was the most
common instrument used against enslaved Black people. There were
even businesses that were established to perform whipping
services.ShacklingHeavy, iron shackles used to bind enslaved
Africans wrists and ankles. Restrict movement & also a way for
plantation owners to humiliate defiant Blacks who tried to escape
and to physically and psychologically control their
captives.Lynching, burning, castration, brandingHow psychology of
complexes Developed
Methods of control"divide and rule: separation of groups who
spoke same language, children from parents, etc prevent rebellions
= distrust, disunity
Religion: traditional practices disallowed in favour of
Christianity (docile not likely to incite rebellion)
Categorised along class lines: domestic/field/factory (unskilled
v skilled) (plantation)
Categorisation/hierarchy along colour lines:
white/coloured/favoured mulatto /black/dark
21st Century Human zooStrange fruitHumans caging & killing
humansWe charge the Barbican with exhibiting institutional racism
for agreeing to stage this poison.CANCELLED: 20,000 signatures
(Sept 2014)
Slain innocent/guiltyPersisting evil
The Duggan case rested on whether the jury believed the police
officer's account of events: that he only opened fire because he
thought that the 29-year-old had a gun in his hand and was prepared
to use it.
19812011?
The sus law was abolished following race riots in St Pauls,
Bristol, in 1980, and in Brixton, London, and Toxteth, Liverpool,
in 1981.Mavis Best, successfully campaigned to have SUS
repealed.
The chief of police admits to sweeteners from News Corp and gets
a slap on the wrist. A kid steals 40 trainers and gets 10 months;
it's blatantly not fair. The rapper Smiley Culturestabbed himself?
C'mon, please. There are too many unanswered questions. It's not
gangs it's individuals who are fed up and want to be in a better
position, but they don't know how to say it or change it."Steve
McQueen, Film Director, also an artist
Small victories
Officer to be charged with perjury following death of Sean Rigg,
CPS report July 2015 (Victims Right to Review)Marcia Rigg &
other family
Locked up Or KILLED in Police CustodyOverall black prisoners
account for the largest number of minority ethnic prisoners
(49%)Source: prisonreformtrust.July 2015
Sean Rigg, died in police custody, 2008, case continues
groomed to breed (stud)HypersexualisedLazy (hustler)Brutish
(hoodie image) Untamed & uncivilisedUnthinking,
unfeelingunemployed/uneducated (Bernard Coard book, Educationally
subnormal)addiction as an enterpriseNatural born
rapistsMurderersAngry/violent Internalised stereotypes
Remove the mental chains ?
And be slain
Thomas Sankara President of Burkino Faso, 1983
-1987Assassinated; aged 38
Malcolm X embodied black male refusal to allow his identity to
be defined by a system of race, gender, and class domination.
Imperialist White Supremacist, capitalist patriarchyPatriarchy -
oppositional to black male liberationinterrelated system of
domination that will never fully empower black men. (BELL
HOOKS)
Watch Being a Man 2014 with Akala
White man: dominant, powerful, violentBlack woman & man:
submission
The angry black woman especially whenShes intelligent &
articulateSpeaks her mind/shows confidenceWears her hair in natural
styles (shes NOT her hair)Stands in solidarity with African
menStands in solidarity with other black womenIs an advocate of
black liberationIs rooted in her African identityOlive Morris,
Black Womens Group
Colour complex and hair obsessionAspiration: image associated
with white standards of beauty White woman = breath of fresh
airBlack/dark = undesirablelightskin/brownskin
epitomisedExpropriation through white supremacist gazePerpetuate
image industry, that reaps billions (see Beauty Is documentary) =
socio economic conditioning
When my skin is lighter, I just feel prettier, Its a taboo
subject, and people get judgmental about it, but thats how I
feel.Irene Major, former model
Eric & Jessica HuntleyBlack Voices in Britain Then &
Now: A celebration of Black literature in Britain and influence on
British life 29th October, 7.30pm
22.00pmPublishersWritersCommunity/social/political
activistsEducatorsCultural producersContributions made to British
Life
Racial socialisation: knowing our history,Organising around
struggle, collective over individualism = empowerment and
healingReparations March 2015
Healing and reparations
Re-membering the psyche positive self images/affirmationsAlign
with individual and collective processes of rebuilidng the psyche
(unchaining)Reappropriation of cultural identity
(traditions/progressive)Our memorial: pay homage, never forgetCall
for reparations (IMPORTANT)Ally our healing with rebalance of our
socio-economic conditionPolitical awareness/racial
socialisationIdeological unity (Kwame Nkrumah)Question: system that
perpetuates the oppression of peoples. Take action for self
transformation
Reconfigure self image, re-evaluate self esteem &
worthCreativity & purpose: are you where you believe you should
be?Are you where others have positioned you?Whose perceptions of
identity are you projecting?Have you resolved childhood/family
issues?Or do you perpetuate cycles of negativityDo you challenge
any sense of victimhood?Do you reflect on your actions good or
bad?Advance the history/psychology of greatness (this is NOT in the
past) (See When We Ruled, Robin Walker)
Humanity on TrialResponsibility: to respect our history, our
struggles, and determine our future. We must be clear about our
socio-economic condition. That it was deliberate and systematic.
That our present situation is directly linked to our history. We
must re-educate ourselves and develop means of subverting the pains
and lies that have confined us. Most of all, we must never rush to
get over this kind of trauma but instead take affirmative action in
solidarity with brothers and sisters of the human family to ensure
it is recognised as a human tragedy and that it will never be
repeated..
Thank you for listeningB:
waywivewordzspiritualcreativeWeb:waywivewordz.com
E:[email protected] also: blackhistorywalks