Slavery and A Black Princess
Hey Everyone!
I took some time off to celebrate my birthday and to pig out on Thanksgiving. Since I did both of those very well, I am back to writing on my beloved website!
The world gave me plenty of material to write on (net neutrality, the Bosnian man who poisoned himself, Jay-Z) but I narrowed it down to two things.
- Libya has nine known sites of human trafficking and modern day slavery which involve African refugees being sold for several hundred dollars.
- Meghan Markle, a biracial American, is engaged to Prince Harry of Wales.
Let's get started.
To be honest, slavery only ended on paper. The world has found loopholes to slavery, with human trafficking and the complex prison industry, being two of the main methods. What is going on in Libya is no shock, and that's only one part of the atrocity. To give you some background, geographically Libya is a main port to Europe, if you are traveling by sea, so it is an attractive place for African migrants.
A few weeks ago, news broke (internationally) that refugees were being sold in a manner very similar to slavery. Videos and pictures were released and the floodgates opened. People have been expressing outrage at the way the United Nations has done nothing about the crisis. But if we are going to talk about the UN, let's talk about them!
Fun fact: I love history. Memorizing facts and learning how essentially humans cannot be trusted with power is a past time of mine. The Prince by Machiavelli? One of my favorite books! That's why when hearing about Libya's slave trade I was not surprised. I was appalled, but not surprised.
I could go way back for you and tell you about white settlers essentially forcing Africa into declaring country lines and ruining the continent. Or how they used religion and race to separate natives. But, I will go soft on y'all today, just read many books or call me if you want to talk..
For right now, I will take you back to 2003.
George Bush Jr. was President of the United States and Muammar Gaddafi was Prime Minister of Libya. Like I said, I am keeping it light for y'all today, but let's say both men were not so great at their jobs. Honestly, that's an understatement for Gaddafi, the man was horrible and committed so many horrific crimes (do a google search). Anyway, Bush made an agreement with Gaddafi, called the Disarmament of Libya. Basically, Bush promised Gaddafi that if he gave up his nuclear weapons, the U.S. would not intervene with his power.
There is way more that could be said, but I want to get back to the whole slavery issue, and not write a paper for class today.
In 2011, that agreement, that the U.S. would not interfere with his power, was broken. U.S. forces directed by President Obama and led by Secretary Clinton interfered in the Libyan Civil War, which eventually led to Gaddaffi's murder. I remember this time, it was gruesome what was going on in Libya.
But like most U.S. and UN inferences, there isn't much thought to help a country once the leader is deposed. Which leads me to this slave trade going on in Libya. With a country that has no true direction and a government that was left to reconfigure itself, after true discord, doesn't it make sense that "Libyan criminals" as said by the Libyan government, can run entire slave trades? Black people are being sold into prostitution and detention camps are overflowing with refugees. The UN isn't saying much and the U.S....well our president is tweeting fake news at everyone.
So it makes me think, while people who look like me are literally being sold, how can I be so happy for Meghan Markle who is engaged to Prince Harry of Wales?
Now I know you are like, Girl you are REACHING! Those two things are not related. Why can't we be happy for Meghan and be appalled for Libya?
You are right, we can be happy for Meghan, while still being upset for Libya. In fact when news broke about Meghan, I was HYPED. A black woman in the palace? I mean yeah, she is also half white, but a BLACK WOMAN?
I wasn't the only one who was excited. When the news broke on Twitter, many black people were rejoicing at the engagement. Representation is a real thing and seeing a black woman in a place where she wasn't meant to be, is thrilling.
But as the days went on and I kept reading about the Libyan crisis, reality started to set in. Why was I happy? It wasn't that Meghan is getting married, it's because I thought she reached a milestone, and got a seat at a table that wasn't made for her. What does that seat do for us as black people, though?
It doesn't stop her from being attacked on the internet from racist trolls. It doesn't stop newspapers from commenting on her race, even though she looks for the most part, racially ambiguous. (That one drop rule is still real.) Her marriage doesn't stop this slave trade in Libya. It doesn't stop racism in America. It doesn't stop unjust treatment of black bodies in this world.
Why are black people so happy for a woman, when the majority of us, were not focused on her prior to dating Prince Harry?
Simple answer it's because she is black. She is royalty, she made it. But her entry into a royal family, does not dictate progress for all of us. I am happy for Meghan because she found love, just like I would be happy for any woman who found love. Prince Harry seems great and I am happy for him as well. I will probably watch the wedding or look at photos. But I am no longer happy for her because she is a black woman marrying into a royal family.
Marriage is not going to make change.
Not the change we need.
For bigger things,
like slavery.
Thank you for reading.
If you are interested in ways to help Libya you can go on to the United Nations website and contact the U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley. The more pressure put on the UN the more they *will* actually work on the issue. http://www.un.org/en/index.html
You can also donate to the IOM (International Organization for Migration). They have been successful in shutting down several detention centers in Libya. https://www.iom.int/countries/libya
There are plenty more ways to support so keep doing research and stay informed about the world beyond us!
