AMERICANS TAUGHT DISTORTED HISTORY OF SLAVERY

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, it remains a stubborn myth that the North of the US was not involved in slavery. The prevailing narrative is that slavery was only deeply entrenched in the societal fabric of the South.

In this clip, speaking in support of H.R. 40, a bill proposing a commission to study reparations for slavery, filmmaker Katrina Browne, a Philadelphia native, explains how the North was complicit in slavery.

Along with nine relatives, Browne retraced her own family journey, discovering that they were the largest slave-trading family in US history - transporting over 12,000 Africans to the Americas in chains. She recounts that learning the history of her Rhode-Island ancestors led to the realisation that the only reason most Americans are ignorant of the North’s slave history is because Americans are taught a distorted version of history.

Browne spotlights facts that contradict the idea that the North had little involvement, including the fact that Rhode Island, where her family roots lie, sent more ships to Africa in the European slave trade than any other state in the slave business, which spanned across centuries. A wide array of industries in the North profited as a result - from shipping to finance - meaning that slavery was largely responsible for the economic rise of the US as a whole.

Browne ended by stating that an understanding of true history should come with acceptance of the realities of what Black people were subjected to at the hands of White enslavers. She said that what Black people want is true understanding and repair, which must encompass meaningful solutions such as reparations to rectify the injustices, not revenge.

Video Credit: C-Span.org