Human Slavery

I’m reading the novel ‘The Book of Negroes’, which spans the life of Aminata Diallo, born in Bayo, West Africa in 1745, abducted at the age of eleven and sent to live as a slave in South Carolina. The author, Lawrence Hill, weaves together fiction and the realities of slavery into a tale that is both disturbing and inspiring.

Hill used 'The Book of Negroes' as the title for his novel in Canada (it is published as 'Someone Knows My Name' in the USA, Australia and New Zealand) because “it derives from a historical document of the same name kept by British naval officers at the tail end of the American Revolutionary War.” The actual ‘Book of Negroes’ is "a hand-written list of Black passengers leaving New York on British ships in 1783. It gives a name, age, physical description, and status (slave or free) for each passenger, and often an owner's name and place of residence. Three copies of the Book of Negroes exist: one in England, at the Public Records Office, Kew; one in the United States, at the National Archives, Washington; and one in Canada, at the Nova Scotia Archives, Halifax. Knowledge of the Black Loyalists begins with this list, made by British and American inspectors." (source)

As I read this story, I find myself deeply troubled by the very idea of human slavery. No matter how hard I try, I cannot process, cannot wrap my head around this; around the harrowing thought of human beings being kidnapped, callously ripped away from their homes and families, and sold like merchandise to other human beings to use and exploit them as they see fit. How on earth does anyone justify this act of barbarism? Who decides, and how do they come to this conclusion, that one culture or race is more important than another? And that the more ‘significant’ culture or race has the right to enslave others. To treat them as property to be bought and sold. To view them as inferior creatures. To exploit, abuse and even dispose of them when they are no longer useful. To hold ‘human beings’ against their will, and deprive them of even the most basic of human rights and freedoms.

And although, historically, slavery was institutionalized by many societies, which has since been outlawed, “it continues through the practices of debt bondage, indentured servitude, serfdom, domestic servants kept in captivity, certain adoptions in which children are forced to work as slaves, child soldiers, and forced marriage.” (source)

So, I ask:

Will human beings ever be able to act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood? Will they ever be able to recognize that we are all born free and equal? Will they ever be able to concede that we are all entitled to the same rights and freedoms no matter our race, colour, status, language, religion, political views, nationality, or any other distinction? And if so, how long will it take for us to reach that critical goal? 100 years? 10,000? 100,000?

Because only then will peace reign.