By
Annette Walker
"Genocide and slavery are crimes against
humanity," said Roz Duman in her introductory remarks at the recent
1619-2019 commemorative event.
Duman is the Founder and Executive Director of
the Coalition Against Global Genocide (CAGG) which convened the recognition of
the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans to be sold into
bondage on North American shores.
She pointed out that genocide involves the
intentional mass physical elimination of a group of people by a state, other
authority or another group of people. According to the United Nations
over the past 40 years genocides have occurred in the former Yugoslavia,
Rwanda, the Darfur region of the Sudan, Myanmar (formerly Burma), and northern
Iraq (the Yazids).
The United Nations estimates that there are
approximately 40 million people currently enslaved worldwide. The UN
defines slavery as ". . . .forced labor so that the slaveholder can
extract profit." However, the UN has expanded the concept of slavery
to include forced child labor, child soldiers, sex trafficking and forced
marriage. Although slavery exists throughout the world, the UN has
determined that the highest concentrations are in the Asia/Pacific region, the
Arab states and sub-Saharan Africa. Canada and the United States are
among the multitudes of nations listed for sex trafficking.
"CAGG's mission is to educate, motivate
and empower individuals and communities to oppose genocide and other crimes
against humanity." said Duman who established the nonprofit organization
in 2008. The Denver Urban Spectrum and the Denver Film Festival co-sponsored
the event which was held at the McNichols Civic Center Building.
"The ravages of slavery and genocide
continue to impact humanity on a global scale and while different, are not
mutually exclusive," said Alonzo Porter, Denver Urban Spectrum Editor and
journalism professor. "There is purposeful dehumanization lending to
unintentional apathy on behalf of the industrialized world, allowing these
atrocities to continue to flourish." he continued.
"We know that issues in films create
conversations and that is part of the mission of the Denver Film Festival, said
Kevin Smith, Director of Marketing and Partnerships. "We are focused
on building community partnerships for these important
conversations."
There was a screening of "The Downward
Spiral" which is Episode One of the 4-part series Slavery and the Making
of America. Directed and produced by Dante James, it opens in the 1620s
with the introduction of 11 men of African descent and mixed ethnicity into
slavery in New Amsterdam. Working side by side with white indentured
servants, these men labored to lay the foundations of the Dutch colony that
would later become New York. There were no laws defining the limitations
imposed on slaves at this point in time. Enslaved people, such as Anthony
d'Angola, Emmanuel Driggus, ad Frances Driggus could bring lawsuits to court,
earn wages, and marry.
Narrated by Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman, the
series examines the integral role slavery played in shaping the new country and
challenges the long-held notion that it was exclusively a Southern
enterprise. The remarkable stories of individual slaves offer fresh
perspectives on the slave experience.
The series was broadcast on PBS in 2005.
"The vision for the series was that the enslaved were not passive
victims," said James. "They fought their oppression in every
way possible. Slavery was and continues to be a critical factor in
shaping the United States. Consequently, we must understand slavery if we
are ever to be emancipated from its consequences," he continued.
During the post-screening discussion, Dr.
Rachel Harding, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of
Colorado, Denver campus elaborated on the need for the recognition of the
400th anniversary. "It's important to acknowledge the 1619-2019
historical marker because it is one way to recognize the central role that
Africans and their descendants played in the creation of our nation," she
said. "On the one hand, it's important to understand how fundamental
Black people's forced, unpaid, and then underpaid labor has been to the
creation of the extraordinary wealth of the United States. Even after the
abolition of slavery, the economic and social structures of our society
continued to plunder the wealth and resources of Black communities through
segregation, redlining, mass incarceration and terrible disparities in
education, health and employment," she continued.
"On the other hand, it's also essential
to recognize that African-Americans have constantly pushed the country toward
its most significant democratic advances. That is to say, Black people
have been at the forefront of most of the historical struggles that have moved
the United States in the direction of greater democracy. Among these
struggles have been the Abolitionist Movement, the Labor Movement, the Women's
Rights Movement and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. All of these
efforts were either led by Black people or had crucial African-American participation."
Rev. Quincy Shannon, who is also on the faculty at
the Denver School of Science and Technology, commented on the current movement
for reparations.
"By definition, reparations means 'making amends for a wrong
by paying to or helping those who have been wronged'. My premise is that
reparations within the yet to be United States is a joke because America has
yet to fully be honest about our past. It's difficult to make amends for
something that some erase out of history books and downplay as a smaller event
than it was."
Shannon also pointed out issues facing
the African-American community. "Mass incarceration is plaguing
the Black community," he said. "Another problem is the way we
have allowed media to develop what being Black is. We are often
associated with that which is bad and framed in a way that is detrimental to
our communities."
Joel Odonkor, a native of Ghana and resident
of Denver, reflected on the 400th anniversary. "There is a spirit in
Americans of African origin that can
never be killed nor destroyed no matter what. I believe the
awareness and the recognition of this 400-year period is a testament to the
resiliency and strength of the African spirit no matter where and how it finds
itself. I believe the awareness should be more meaningful to the American
of African origin than anyone else. We should use it as a platform for
renewal."
(This article originally
appeared in the December 2019 issue of the
Denver Urban
Spectrum)
