Axe!
Christmas and the Negro in the Atlantic World

Many people think Christmas has become “too commercialized” and have moved too far from “tradition”. Really? When was Christmas not about commerce? Christmas for Africans in the Atlantic world has always been about controlling their minds, energy and whereabouts because they were property.
To prove our point, let’s take a trip down memory lane: “…on Christmas day, 1833. The days between Christmas and New Year’s day are allowed as holidays; and, accordingly, we were not required to perform any labor, more than to feed and take care of the stock. This time we regarded as our own, by the grace of our masters; and we therefore used or abused it nearly as we pleased.
Read entire essay @ Voxunion.
tags: christmas, frederick douglass, holidays, mental slavery, samuel sharpe
photo source: farm4