An Open Letter to Society

To Whom it May Concern,

As a whole, America has come a long way. We have grown a lot the past to today. Slavery is always the elephant in the room. We are not allowed to speak on it. The subject is taboo. It happened, it is a part of our history. There's nothing we can do. I am a black woman, so slavery is a part of my life. My ancestors are majority black, a small handful are white. I visited the very plantation my ancestors lived on. I saw the living quarters, cotton fields, and so on. Small, dark and cramped are the adjectives I used while I was there. It is so unfair. But the past is the past, right?

Slavery was abolished. It was touted as a new beginning for the blacks. No more chain, picking cotton or whips on our backs. I mean, it sounded good, but my people were not free yet. They would endure a form of slavery still. Punished for nothing at the white mans will. Slavery gave way to segregation. "Separate but equal" they said. Signs on everything, "colored" or "white" they read. Separate, yes. Equal? Not...even...close. The "colored" stuff was often inferior if operational at all. "Together we stand, divided we fall." My people boycotted, and protested to integrate the world. They would succeed. Segregation was no more. Are my people equal yet? I'll leave that question on the floor...

Until Next time,

A proud Black Woman