I know that video. It makes me physically and emotionally sick so as I write, please understand, I am very upset.
I know this video intimately because 6 of the ships making multiple crossings were mastered by my Liverpudlian 4th great grandfather Thomas Rigmaiden. I have the ships’ names, routes, the number of human beings…
I am delighted to see that the work of Liam and his colleagues in debunking the ‘Irish Slave’ fairy tale is finally gaining traction within academic circles. It needs all of us to rebut and accurately position the Irish experience in America as indentured servants and not as perpetual slaves.
This article nicely follows this debate to the 19th century and beyond.
As I believe I’ve said to you before: What are these very comments but whining?!?! That this sort of whinging, this sort of blaming society’s ills on the African-American community is beyond the height of irony, seeing it as a pernicious problem to American Life.
It does produce outcomes — just not the ones it claims to. It successfully perpetuates the slave status of much of black America, and provides cheap or free labour. It’s also handy for doing the same for “poor white trash” that weren’t officially slaves before, but the main target is the black man, who might otherwise realise his power and potential.”
