I refuse to honor George Washington, and other 'founders' who enslaved and sold human beings
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/17/1833757/-I-refuse-to-honor-George-Washington-and-other-founders-who-enslaved-and-sold-human-beings?detail=emaildkre
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Denise Oliver Velez
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Every year when Presidents Day rolls around (which is really an excuse for people to have a three-day weekend and go to mattress sales), I light a candle and recite the names I know of those people who were held in slavery by U.S. presidents, and other revered founders.
I pray for those whose names I will never know, as well.
The ugly history of kidnapping, enslavement, breeding farms, torture, disfigurement, rape, and the forced and coerced deportation of black human beings is personal for me, as a direct descendant of people held in bondage. In their name, I wanted to see Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam resign after photos surfaced from his medical school yearbook depicting students in blackface and KKK robes. I still do, and he has made things worse with his ill-informed indentured servant remarks.
From my perspective, enslavement should be personal for every person who lives here. It makes no difference when your folks arrived on these shores. I dont give a damn if your ancestors never owned a person.