tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post8240038877494423575..comments2024-03-22T20:34:13.792-05:00Comments on Indomitable | The online home of Chauncey DeVega: Can You Feel Their Eyes on You? Rare Photo of Slave Children Found in AtticLady Zora, Chauncey DeVega, and Gordon Gartrellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09138154899923808806noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-12891282557836943832010-06-13T21:30:14.640-05:002010-06-13T21:30:14.640-05:00Great stuff. I usually think of blogs, including ...Great stuff. I usually think of blogs, including my own, as "not being worth the paper they're printed on." Yours is a happy exception. Thanks for your efforts.fred chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10812811681270634366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-36962767646974832782010-06-12T15:36:02.028-05:002010-06-12T15:36:02.028-05:00I appreciate your posting and thanks for the compl...I appreciate your posting and thanks for the complement. But, I am engaging you because it is troubling that it would not be a given that slavery, de facto, is dehumanizing and abusive. The tone of your first post suggested that 1) we should be happy we are in America...that is worrisome whenever there is a connection made between the Black Holocaust and the common deflection that by implication we black folks should "stop complaining and feel lucky" and 2) that this human property, these children were "well treated."<br /><br />Does that mitigate the crime against them?<br /><br />cdchaunceydevegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09652406326490873337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-42108744385562831972010-06-12T14:46:56.501-05:002010-06-12T14:46:56.501-05:00Oh gee, I never thought of slavery as bad. Now I...Oh gee, I never thought of slavery as bad. Now I see the light. This picture, because these kids are black and not white, definitely proves that slavery is bad. I now see that so clearly. You got me. <br /><br />By the way - no one smiled in pictures circa 1860, no matter what their race.<br /><br />But - I give up. No hard feelings. I like your blogs or I would not be here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-7568811920458178782010-06-12T14:26:45.559-05:002010-06-12T14:26:45.559-05:00They were sold as property. Separated from their f...They were sold as property. Separated from their families. <br />Tell me then what else do we need to qualify them as "victims?"<br /><br />And tell me, looking at their eyes do you see joy there?<br /><br />cdchaunceydevegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09652406326490873337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-4787484016891057442010-06-12T13:56:57.234-05:002010-06-12T13:56:57.234-05:00No I am not trolling for a fight. I am simply ask...No I am not trolling for a fight. I am simply asking that we be "respectable negroes." We have thousands and thousands and thousands of facts on our side when discussing the atrocities of slavery. We do not need to weaken those facts by assigning something to this picture which is not evident. There is no sign of malnourishiment (sp?), there are no scars on their bodies, they have ten toes and ten fingers, they are clothed probably as good as 95% of kids were at the time, they are not covered in filth, they are not (presently) working, they are not being whipped. IN THIS PICTURE - there is no sign of "generic horror" or "victimization" or mistreatment. Why make a statement that those things are in this picture when they are not? We have so many real provable true facts on our side ! Be honest. Morgan and Soodalter are simply making stuff up at the end of the original story. We don't need fiction to vouch for the atrocity of slavery!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-60922099880790735262010-06-12T12:31:09.111-05:002010-06-12T12:31:09.111-05:00Talk about timely. I will give you the benefit of ...Talk about timely. I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you are not a troll looking for provocation, but rather that you are simply naive and misinformed... <br /><br />Those happy little slaves. It was such a wonderful just system that gave free labor to white folks in exchange for travel visas for Africans. And we black folks should be so happy that the boat dropped us off in America!<br /><br />I have something I was not going to post, now I am inspired.<br /><br />thanks anon.<br /><br />cdchaunceydevegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09652406326490873337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-81620719017507954262010-06-12T12:23:53.840-05:002010-06-12T12:23:53.840-05:00This a wonderful historic photo.
Why you have t...This a wonderful historic photo. <br /><br />Why you have to make up a story of abuse and mistreatment and victimization when there is no evidence to support that from this photo is beyond me.<br /><br />The child on the left was named Johnson Smith. He was 8 years old in 1854 when this picture was taken. He was taught basic arithmetic and reading skills as a child. In 1865 after emancipation, at the age of 19 (everyone's birthday was 1/1), he moved to Easton, Illinois with two of his brothers. There he married Nina Summers and after three years of hard labor, he and his brothers bought a small farm and prospered. Their wives made pies that were sold at the local cafe and general store. Johnson and Nina had four daughters. One of those daughters married a young man who worked on a street bricklaying crew that moved from town to town following jobs. After eight years he became assistant foreman. These were usually bigger towns. In 1912 their family settled in Fort Worth, Texas. His name was Andrew Clayton. The Claytons had six children, three died at young ages. One moved to an area around Graham, Texas and worked at a mill and had a family. One died at the age of 32 in a fire in downtown Fort Worth, and the last, my grandmother, sired eight ranch hands that worked for the XIT ranch in North Texas.<br /><br />Thank you to the United States of America for the freedoms we (currently) enjoy. If these two children had been born in any other country in this whole world, they would not have had the opportunities to succeed that they did.<br /><br />And shame on you for making up such a negative story to attached to this picture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-39476610657481426622010-06-12T01:07:38.557-05:002010-06-12T01:07:38.557-05:00After looking at the pic, I felt moved. I felt the...After looking at the pic, I felt moved. I felt the need to do something. I felt the need to donate some money to help those two starving African kids in that pic.<br /><br />Now I'm usually skeptical when I see commercials like this one which features a very humble sounding white guy pleading for 30 cents a day to feed them. What can I say, the absence of flies around the faces of the white guy makes me this way.<br /><br />Yep, they did a good job with this commercial; yes, it was very effective. Hopefully 6they get my money.<br /><br />Uh, hold up...wait... this pic was taken in America? Are you kidding me? Well no wonder they look like they're disappointed that daddy had to pawn the Playstation 3 to buy crack!RiPPahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08876723972974044402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-26756227928559703282010-06-11T23:00:58.826-05:002010-06-11T23:00:58.826-05:00I am a political scientist and a politician in Nor...I am a political scientist and a politician in North Carolina. Today in my role as an elected official I had the pleasure of going on a farm tour across my county. <br /><br />This photo and your post remind me of a Century Farm we visited today and the family we spoke to. The farm is the only farm left in our county that has belonged to a black family for over 100 years. <br /><br />Knowing that the patriarch of that family worked to the bone to make sure his children and grandchildren never had to be under the whip or had to rely on others to take care of themselves was really powerful.<br /><br />In that photo and in the eyes of those kids I can only imagine the feelings and dreams that they had that might have never come true.<br /><br />Today we asked the gentleman why his family had not been tempted to sell the 600 acres that their patriarch had purchased over 100 years ago and his reply was that his granddaddy had walked almost 15 miles to get the deed to that land and that every body in his family was born on the homestead. So that while many people don't have a place to call home, his family does and that the roots on that land grow deep.<br /><br />This photo of these forgotten children who suffered under an unjust system, and having been on the property of a family that has worked hard to maintain the dream of a man who made sure his family would never have to suffer the way he did, keeps me going in this field and inspires me to be better every day.<br /><br />I'm proud to be black and educated and humbled by the sacrifices of so many that got me to where I am today. Thanks for bringing this article to your blog and for your post!Imani Asakohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03638288766250681157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-370990570607638632010-06-11T21:11:51.613-05:002010-06-11T21:11:51.613-05:00The kid on the left looks like he could be a young...The kid on the left looks like he could be a younger version Lil Wayne in a different time and place.<br /><br />Reminds me of all the untapped talent of that cruel time period... music, science, inventions, the list is endless. Instead, our ancestors were used as beasts of burden. Tragic, and tragic still because it still continues in a different way.Kit (Keep It Trill)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03027769872237001801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-29070422753500462152010-06-11T20:29:33.788-05:002010-06-11T20:29:33.788-05:00I first caught this article elsewhere on the Web, ...I first caught this article elsewhere on the Web, and as a historian, it resonated with me in many ways, and has left me with many questions.<br /><br />Why was this photo and documents placed on the market? Why werent the descendants of the original owner of the house interested in keeping such valuable personal history? Is it a money thing? Were they in dire straights and needed the funds, or were they unaware of the treasure they possessed? Why was it sold to a private collector and not sold/donated to a museum?<br /><br />As you can see, this article left me with several unanswered questions, lol.<br /><br />I count myself as one of the fortunate, because I have many mid-to-late 19th century pictures, daguerreotypes and tintypes of my ancestors, so I can actually hold my family, and my nation's history in my hands. But I am unfortunate, as the people who hold the oral history are all deceased, and NO ONE thought to accurately - and clearly - identify just who these people are (DOCUMENT YOUR PHOTOS, PEOPLE, LOL!).<br /><br />Well, please stop by my blog in the future, as I am scanning all of these photos - I have thousands of them - and posting them online!<br /><br />LLola Getshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07058543308191117858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-61434706975820979492010-06-11T19:17:41.687-05:002010-06-11T19:17:41.687-05:00Very powerful photo. I'm having the same react...Very powerful photo. I'm having the same reaction as I did when I first went to the museum of American history in DC and visited the slavery section. The shackles made the most impact. Seeing them in person. <br /><br />Being an emotional, visual person, I couldn't imagine being in them, nor putting someone else in them. I always thought slave owners were monsters, but the shackles just flamed that view even more. <br /><br />And when I'd go back (used to live there and would visit with company), I'd always get tense seeing that familiar corner, recoiling at what I knew was there. <br /><br />It is one thing to read, know, hear about the past. But these things really help make it real (like the pile of shoes at the Holocaust museum). And it makes me want to share it with everyone, so they may have a similar reaction, so they'll reflect on their own prejudices (we all have them, but how we let them govern us is the key).<br /><br />-white lady who comments from time to timeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-68695385790092354512010-06-11T19:16:35.547-05:002010-06-11T19:16:35.547-05:00chauncey: I somehow found you guys a couple weeks ...chauncey: I somehow found you guys a couple weeks ago while I was searching Boondocks stuff and I've been reading ever since. All three(?) of you are great.<br /><br />We are all in this together, absolutely.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />-JTAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-60124256683136269482010-06-11T18:47:10.886-05:002010-06-11T18:47:10.886-05:00Thank you. If I come up with anything that might b...Thank you. If I come up with anything that might be of interest, I'll run it past you.<br /><br />ChrisChris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-44913087150878143272010-06-11T17:47:22.788-05:002010-06-11T17:47:22.788-05:00@JT--That was raw and honest...and appreciated. We...@JT--That was raw and honest...and appreciated. We are all in this together.<br /><br />@Chris--That sounds like fascinating work. What have you learned so far? If you ever want to write a piece for us on what you have learned/felt/seen etc. or even a series of updates that would be most welcome.chaunceydevegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09652406326490873337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-17676884573605234652010-06-11T16:58:14.405-05:002010-06-11T16:58:14.405-05:00Very good.Very good.http://abebedorespgondufo.blogs.sapo.pt/http://abebedorespgondufo.blogs.sapo.pt/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-14663529096006814532010-06-11T16:54:59.377-05:002010-06-11T16:54:59.377-05:00A thought-provoking photo. I am reminded every day...A thought-provoking photo. I am reminded every day of the shameful period in my former country's (Denmark's) history as I systematically go through records kept by the Danish government and slave owners of St. Croix. I am one of several people who are translating and entering the data into records that will be made available online, to help researchers and people seeking to unravel their family history. My phase of this work reveals little about the people themselves. There are no photos, but the movements and transactions speak volumes while notes and letters left by slave owners bring us a more focused picture. Some of my colleagues are tracing individual lives and that can be a painful but necessary journey.Chris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57113078446695664.post-52688222658613430282010-06-11T16:39:48.726-05:002010-06-11T16:39:48.726-05:00I don't know what it means and I don't kno...I don't know what it means and I don't know what I see in their eyes and I just don't know. The world is just crazy.<br /><br />Sometimes your blog makes me mad and sometimes it makes me laugh and smile and most of the time I just feel like a digital persona that is communicating with other digital personas and I feel worthless. <br /><br />There are days when I feel like black people are my brothers and sisters and there's days when I feel like they're looking into my soul and I don't like it one bit.<br /><br />It's just sad- that's all. Everything is.<br /><br /><br />-JTAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com