Our incredible First Lady tore the house down last night at the DNC! I mean she really is just all around perfection. She masterfully delivered an incredible speech, yet I see a lot of banter around one statement she made.
“I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves.”
This apparently has some folk in a god damn tizzy! Are you shocked by this? Who the fuck did you think built The White House? I know one thing Martha and George Washington didn't build it! I honestly don't even know if George Washington's wife name is Martha. Sounds right though. I mean all of the Founding Fathers wives names were Martha or Barbara right?
Anyhoo, I was scrolling on Twitter this morning and I see a lot of white people are up in arms about this statement. I see fact checking on this statement. I see think tank piece by publications asking "Was The White House built by slaves?" I am perplexed by this outrage. It seems that there is this overwhelming need to erase slavery from the books. HOW SWAY?
Spoiler Alert -- slaves built the United States Capital too! *gasp* People always want to say "Why do black people always bring up slavery?" or "That was so long ago, we have moved on." Have we? I am just flabbergasted that people can still question slavery. Is white supremacy that fragile that people can not accept the fact that slaves built the god damn White House? My ancestors tending your fields, fed your children, served your guest; so why the fuck wouldn't they build your buildings too? Who the fuck else was building The White House in 1792?
Yes slavery happened. Yes American Presidents owned slaves. Yes slaves built The White House. If you would like to read more on the slaves of The White House, I recommend this piece from the Smithsonian Magazine from January.
The naivety is not cute, its fucking insulting! STOP IT!
AB
