The Vile Germ of our History
Willie Lynch’s infamous letter, The Making of a Slave, reached out to those who were present that day in the Virginia Colony. In his letter Lynch spoke about how if his procedure was used correctly then “It will control the slaves for at least 300 hundred years”. In the document, he states “I have outlined many differences among the slaves, and make them bigger. I use FEAR, DISTRUST, and ENVY for control purposes”. Willie Lynch used these tactics to turn the blacks against each other, and this just added the list of problems the world already had. He made the black women distrust the black man and the black man distrust the black women. He made the house slaves distrust the field slave and vice versa. This time was harsh for the black community due to the discrimination and harsh punishments that they faced, whether it was lynching, rapping, or even death.

Using black babies to make a trade with an alligator wasn’t as widespread as lynching black men for attempting to vote, but it was common. The awful practice of using black babies as bait to lure in alligators started during the period when slavery was present but extended all the way into the 20th century. White alligator hunters would sit the crying black babies, that were not capable of walking, at the water’s edge with rope around their necks and waists. The babies would have no other option but to splash and cry until an alligator would come and snatch them up. The hunters wouldn’t kill the alligator until it had the baby in its jaws to ensure the death of the baby. This was because they felt as they were making a “trade” with one child’s life for one alligator’s skin.

This once used practice of using black babies as bait for alligators reminds me of the controversial topic of abortion today. Statistics state that approximately 500 thousand lives have been lost in the united states this year due to abortion. Protested at rallies and questioned worldwide, terminating pregnancy is often characterized as a selfish act by women who put their own life above those of a fetus. Personally, I believe that an abortion is preposterous. Killing an innocent life because you “didn’t” intend on getting pregnant or because you decided after the fact that you didn’t want a baby is ignorant. As said in a Dr. Seuss’ movie, Horton Hears a Who, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
I know that people do not like to discuss things that make them upset or uncomfortable but we should face the reality of what has happened. We should be reminded of what occurred and the way that our history informs our biases, politics, and the way we feel about one another. We should feel remorse for all the nameless children who lives were lost, that was not accidental, because no one’s death should go unnoticed. Sadness is not an action, whereas empathy and understanding are characteristics that start actions. And actions start the process of mending the wound that we Americans have created.
Without all of us acknowledging what happened in the past and their contribution to the dysfunction that is present-day American injustice, we cannot fix this ongoing epidemic that was never resolved. Confronting the situation head on, and committing to the shameful actions of our past is the only way to understand their enduring societal effects and begin to finally address them in matter that will get taken care of.
