Slavery’s ‘lingering’ effects, reparations, and a hope of reconciliation

According to family historians on my mother’s side, my great-grandfather Louis Thompson was born into slavery in 1844. He was described as a mulatto, meaning that he was a product of the rape culture of the time. It was a common practice for slave owners to rape the women they owned. One result was the creation of additional wealth in the form of their own offspring. Yes, it is a horrific concept. And, no, there is no way to count how many times this particular crime of rape should be added to the crime against humanity named slavery. 

After the Civil War, my great-grandfather acquired land in Louisiana where my

“A societal debt”Reparations under discussion – and underway“Lingering negative effects”