One of the many manifestations of racism is that of slavery. As I mentioned in an earlier essay, racism can be defined as the attitude or belief that one ethnic group or race is inherently intellectually, morally, and spiritually superior to others. Those who believe this also believe that because of their supposed "superiority" they have the God-given right to relegate the supposed "inferior" groups to a lower social class status, including, but not limited to that of slavery.
In this essay, I will focus on slavery as a manifestation in the U.S.A. Some may object to this because to them "slavery is a thing of the past," and "institutional slavery no longer exists." Others will object because they don't like to be reminded that there is a discrepancy between the claim to freedom on the one hand, and the fact that many of those who were slaves, fought for those freedoms which we now enjoy. One writer referred to slavery as the "peculiar institution."
The labor of Blacks, forced to come to the New World as slaves, was essential to the economic development not only of the new colonies, whether in the Caribbean, Latin America, or North America, but also the major powers of the Old World. But slavery did not come innocent of ideological trappings. A historically distinct ideology designed to justify and maintain the oppression of the slaves developed with the rise of the Atlantic slave trade (Ahmed Shawki, Black Liberation and Socialism. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2006, p.18).
Racism and racial oppression have been features of everyday life for Blacks in the United States for more than 350 years. But the persistence of racism is not inevitable, and racism, certainly in its modern form, has not always existed. Far from being the unavoidable result of interaction between different peoples, racism and racial oppression emerged in Europe's transition from feudalism to capitalism. Ancient and feudal societies before capitalism were able to do without this form of oppression (Shawki, p.18).
Specifically, racism emerged in Western Europe and the New World as a consequence of the slave trade, as the ideological justification for slavery. Prejudice against strangers (xenophobia) and distinctions between "barbarian" and "civilized" existed, but did not take the form of modern racism (Shawki, p.18).
Northern American Indians whom European settlers first encountered had a conception of "outsider," i.e. non-members of the band, tribe, or nation. But the fact that it carried no racial connotation is shown not only by the practice of adoption of Indian captives of other nations into their tribe to replace lost loved ones, but also of the adoption of captured white Europeans as full-fledged members of the tribe (James Axell, White Indians of Colonial America. Washington: Ye Galleon Press, 1979, p.8).
The question for us would be did racism lead to slavery or did slavery lead to racial attitudes of superiority? There have been arguments on both sides of this question. This writer does note support either one. This writer believes that both racism and the attendant institution of slavery are rooted in the divine-human rupture and also in the human-human rupture. The attitude of superiority on the basis of both race and social class is generated by a denial of all humankind being made in the image and likeness of God. While my position might seen crude and elementary to some, I humbly submit it for consideration and dialogue. Please feel free to submit your own comments, ideas, and opinions on this position or on the previous two positions described. Your input is valuable and will be appreciated.
In the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer,
Dr. Juan A.Ayala-Carmona
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