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Thursday, May 21, 2015

How the Civil War Never Ended for Black America

By righting a 150-year-old wrong, re-enactors aim to help remedy long untreated ills at the root of today’s #BlackLivesMatter movement

Hundreds of African-American men marched to the White House this past Sunday. They were not wearing hoodies in honor of Trayvon Martin. They were not making the “hands up don’t shoot” gesture in honor of Michael Brown.

They were wearing blue wool trousers and greatcoats, forage caps and cavalry boots—in honor of African American soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Their aim: to correct a wrong made in 1865, when black soldiers were left out of the Grand Review, the Union Army’s victory parade.

1865? Seriously? With all the critically important racial justice causes of 2015?

“Everything about the Civil War is present tense,” author C.R. Gibbs told me. “This is not settled. Ferguson and Baltimore are just match flares on a long historical fuse.”

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"A century and a half after the Civil War, racial inequalities in America are still staggering. Median income for nonwhites is only 65 percent that of whites. The wealth gap is even wider, with white families’ net worth six times that of non-whites."

When half of the people don't work of course the median income will be considerably less then that of whites.

Anonymous said...

Not true. With all the sport figures and the one who actually took advantage of the free education. Maybe 30 year's ago but today? ?? NO WAY

Anonymous said...

Ok, so their ancestors were left out, that wasn't nice. So future re-enactments should include them, clearly stating this is a symbolic not a historical representation.

They should have been honored alongside the others, back in 1865. They weren't.

What do they want, a time machine? An official apology? A do-over of the "Grand Review"?

That might just set off the next Civil War, to free ourselves from enslavement to this oppressive government.

Anonymous said...

Enough is enough. This war has been over for how long now?? And just how many white Americans were killed for the cause of ending slavery or did we forget about them?? We a=re totally sick about being reminded of this war and slavery. No, we should never apologize for actions that were not our fault and out of our control.

Anonymous said...

I think the title is wrong. It has never ended for the white person. That is all they ever talk about. They can't listen and learn their own history. Blacks sold them into slavery not whites.
They hold themselves in slavery but their actions each and everyday.

Anonymous said...

lincoln emancipated the slaves because he was losing the war and figured newly freed slaves would join his side and help him win the war. which they did. end of story.