A very rare photograph of two slave children was found in an attic in North Carolina that has the appearance of dating back to the early 1860s. Their clothing was vintage slave, by that I mean ragged and ill-fitting. There was a handwritten document with the photo from 1854 describing the sale of someone named “John” for a whopping $1,150.
There was a lot of discussion in the article that disclosed the history of the find relevant to its value, who took the photo and its overall quality. To the credit of those who commented on such a remarkable find, they were taken back by the expression on the faces of the boys. Will Stapp, a curator at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C, says the photograph puts a face on a horrific chapter in the country’s past.
Yes it does put a face on a horrific chapter of American history. More importantly it is a measurement of the progress America has made and the fathers of boys just like them in our society today. It very eloquently bears out the failures of our nation and African American fathers. Neither has made a dedicated effort to reverse the horrors children like them must endure every day in inner cities as well as upscale neighborhoods in which parents place more emphasis on their zip code than the love of their children. That’s a big part of why so many African American women in particular are raising children who have been abandoned by their fathers.
What is even more disturbing is the neglect of the overwhelming majority of well-to-do folks who will drive by children much like them on their way to grand churches. They do not hold their church liable for its disregard for the suffering of the children around them. After all, they have found their lives and they know their ministers well enough to know they are not going to jeopardize what their positions. So no one will do anything even though the effect of living in poverty in America is getting harder to deal with every day. Doesn’t the Bible say something about those “to whom much is given?”
So here’s the pitch, if there is anyone who would like to make something happen, call me and let’s do it before it’s too late….amen?
