Slavery: Paying Reparations

White Cargo

The Forgotten History Of Britain's White Slaves In America

by Don Jordan and Michael Walsh

Were there other slaves in America, besides Africans?  Absolutely!  But, were they treated as poorly?  That is the question.  Some were, undoubtedly.  Raped, murdered, whipped, they were simply cargo in another hold of another ship, hoping to make it to their destination alive or... perhaps hoping not to.

There is discussion afoot about paying reparations to those descendants of black slaves.  But, where do you draw the line?  That they were black?  What about the other races?  The Irish, Italian, Chinese, and others who were treated like slaves?  Do we pay them as well, and why?  They weren't slaves.  America didn't sell them into slavery.  America didn't capture them in battle.  Some came of their own accord, albeit a mistake.  Some were sold by their own people.  

Maybe the reparations should be paid by those who sold them.  God only knows, I didn't,  Nor did my Sicilian or Irish, or Choctaw ancestors.  As a matter of fact, the Sicilians were conquered by the Moors enough for me to question my own "colorful" background, my mother's people in Mississippi were dirt farmers right alongside the black dirt farmers, and the Choctaw tribe was treated worse than blacks, if they were treated at all, up until the 1950s.  Everyone was dirt poor, and they did for each other when times were tougher than tough.  It was what Christians did.  The point being, we never owned slaves, and those that came to America after the Civil War didn't either, so why punish us?  And, the ancestors of white slaves should pay for what?  They were also slaves!  Punish them because they were treated better?  Slavery was slavery, none of it was good.

If everyone was still alive who perpetrated this horror on humanity, I'd be the first to go after them.  They aren't.  Punishing folks who had no hand in atrocities is simply dividing a country still trying to find it's way, and we have come a long way to accomplishing that because both sides really want to see an end to all of it.  The best we can do is accept each other and promise to make sure it doesn't ever happen again.  All lives matter in the eyes of God.  Let us all try to wrap our minds around that, and each other.  

Saying one person matters more than others accomplishes nothing.

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.