Can a Captor Cradle You?
By Robin Foster
  
Oh people! What must we do to overcome the effects of the abuses endured during slavery?  We suffered the removal from our native land, the wiping out of our history from our memories, and we have been armed with the knowledge of how to inflict pain and suffering as we experienced being forced into the servitude of others.

What happens to a child raised up under the influence of emotional and physical violence?  How many children can on their own leave the cradle of the captor, establish a productive family, and become a positive force for good in his community without the help of good friends and family?  Where is the village?

Image via WikipediaThink of the abuser of the child.  If he never respected the sanctity of the child in the beginning to the point where laws had to be imposed on him, and the child had to be taken by force, is it wrong to anticipate that he will continue to act out of anything but selfishness?  Unless he has some Divine conversion, can the child expect love, sincere acceptance, or any form of nurturing at his hands?

This is what went wrong after the American Civil War was fought.  Granted, we take nothing from the sacred blood that was spilled on behalf of freeing the slave.  There were African American freedom fighters among them too.  This is why "the forty acres and a mule" never materialized.  After the benefactors went returned home to the North, we see charity and goodwill could not be forced from the abuser.

The so-called freedman remained in the hands of the abuser as the child under his stewardship and as a dependent on him for shelter and food.  Slavery was off the books in 1865, but remained in the hearts and on the plantations for decades more.  So what effect does living in an abusive home have on the children?  Do you think they might start to act out these abuses on each other?  If left unchecked, how bad could it eventually get?  Would they begin to play the part of the abuser?

So now the question comes to mind, "Are we free?"  What do people do today once they have the courage to realize they are trapped living under the effects of abuse?  They turn to a friend, someone they can trust. They turn a blind eye and deaf ear toward any person who would thwart their empowerment or who would try to make them feel inferior. After all, that is a tactic used to perpetuate abuse. They seek out others who are have suffered and worked through the same difficulties.  As they come together in these communities, they are able to receive strength and be a strength to others less strong.

Submitted by Nethanel Nasi

To all the children from the Diaspora I say, "You have been waiting in the wrong cradle. Wake up, before you it is too late.  You were kidnapped from a golden cradle and have been separated from the source of your identity. Do you remain separated from those who do not feel uncomfortable with your ebony or nutmeg complexions, your wavy or kinky hair, or your fully developed frames?  Create a bridge for yourself to pass over from time to time or to pass over once and for all.

With the blessings of technology all African ancestored descendants can develop an online haven where healing can take place.  Let's recite and relish in our history. Let's come together to identify the principles that help us to enjoy freedom and happiness.  Hopefully, "Over Troubled Water" will be the beginning of that for you.  If we fail in breaking the chains that shackle the minds of the present-day generation, the future generations may have no hope.  Quite frankly, what would then be the purpose of our ancestor's hopes and struggles?