Is Social Slavery Real?
In 1865 slavery was abolished with the enactment of the 13th amendment; though this addition to the constitution is over a century old, many minorities are still in bondage. Minorities may not physically be in slavery but every day they are culturally suppressed by an unrealistic white dominated culture. Through the lack of higher education opportunities many minorities lack the knowledge they need to understand the world which they live in; if they do not understand this world then they will be forced to be dependent on and work for the people that do. W.E.B Du Bois recognized this injustice in 1890 when he did a sociological study on the black population living in Philadelphia’s 7th ward. He noted, “Everyone knows that in the past color prejudice in the city was deep and passionate; living men can remember when a Negro could not sit in a street car or walk many streets in peace. These times have passed, however, and many imagine discrimination against the Negro has passed with them (Legates 123). He came to the conclusion that due to color prejudice many citizens of Philadelphia had particular attitudes toward Negroes embedded in them which effected the growth of Negroes at the time. He put these attitudes into 6 categories – as to getting work, as to keeping work, as to entering new lines of work, as to entering new lines of work, as to expenditure, as to his children, and as to social intercourse – all of these forms of discrimination lead to a feeling of inferiority throughout the black race. In the 21st century, we can see how Du Bois’ observations still ring truth with many minority races. Through the growth of digitization and the many new innovations in technology, the media can keep different races divided and oppressed through clever subliminal messages. Now, the main question is what can we do to counter this attack on the souls of individuals living in America? Once we are aware of the things going on around us, how can we act on making a change in our environments?