Thread by @NotLasers, A lot of directories of antiracist texts and tools have mentioned the [...]

A lot of directories of antiracist texts and tools have mentioned the 1619 Project, and I'm gonna add my voice to that, with some additional context for folks who missed it the first time around. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html (1/)

The 1619 Project

American slavery began 400 years ago this month. This is referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the country’s true origin.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html

If you grew up in the United States in the 20th or 21st centuries, it's easy to miss just how thoroughly slavery is the foundation of every structure in our society. I had hella solid history teachers who didn't shy away from the subject, and I STILL had very little idea. (2/)

The 1619 project is an incredibly detailed, systematic, and--critically--ACCESSIBLE deconstruction of the ways that slavery defined--and its legacy continues to define--America. (3/)

And it is INCREDIBLY relevant to every factor of what's happening right now. Police violence. The human and economic impact of COVID-19. Basically: To what extent the cracks go back to a common point, it's this. (4/)

If all of this seems like A Lot to Dive Into--which it is--I'd recommend starting with Matthew Desmond's brilliant examination of how slavery informed the brutality of modern capitalism in both philosophy and practice: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slavery-capitalism.html (5/)

American Capitalism Is Brutal. You Can Trace That to the Plantation.

Slavery helped turn America into a financial colossus. And our economy is still shaped by management practices invented by enslavers and overseers.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slavery-capitalism.html

(It's also a TERRIFIC tool box for tearing down your asshole acquaintances' "but it's really an economic thing" nonsense, if you're looking for a starting point for that.) (6/6)

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