“We are arbiters of our own destiny. God and nature first made us what we are, and then out of our own created genius we make ourselves what we want to be. Follow always the great law. Let the sky and God be our limit and Eternity our measurement.”
Marcus Garvey
One of the most profound lessons I teach students in my Social Studies, World History, and African History class is the realization that at a certain time period in our history, it was against the law for our ancestors to read and write. When I unfold the evil truth that reading and writing were forbidden–for over 300 years, they cringe at their desk.
During the horrific time of chattel slavery, it was illegal by law for Black people to read. When our ancestors were caught trying to read, they would be severely punished and tortured. The punishments by white slave masters would include the burning out of eyes, amputations of limbs, castrations, tongue mutilations, being sold to other plantations, the selling of children and relatives, being burned alive, the breaking of bones, and being hung to death in front of all the other captured sisters and brothers.
The white captors were totally aware of the power of reading. They were aware of the endless possibilities of an African who learned to read and comprehend the thoughts and experiences of other people from all around the world.
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