EDITOR’S LETTER
Once You See Racism, You Can Never Unsee It
Racism is everywhere. And it’s in full bloom in Florida. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking for a racist around every corner or a Klansman hiding behind every tree. But there is no denying racism and bigotry exist, and their impact is far-reaching.
This week we published two extraordinary articles that speak to current attempts to whitewash, if not erase, accurate Black history accounts. One by longtime OHF Weekly writer and fan favorite William Spivey. In “What ‘Benefits’ Accrued to the People Who Gained Skills as Enslaved People?” Mr. Spivey takes a rather stoic yet scathing look at the Florida Board of Education’s assertion that enslavement wasn’t so bad, after all “ . . . slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”
Say what now?!
Learning about pivotal moments when someone decided to support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, racial equity, and the like, never gets old.
To propagate such lies and downplay the abject horrors of slavery is an insult to every enslaved African who lived on these lands and their descendants. And frankly, it enrages me, especially when vestiges of slavery…
