Problem
This article by The Guardian talks about life after slavery and a book by Jim Downs that dug into depth around the real experiences of those who were "freed" from slavery after the war. Life was not easy for African Americans after they were "freed" Many believe that they were just allowed to go back into society as people of the community to live everyday life as anyone else.
Many slaves "freed" in the south would end up in "contraband camps" which would be basically the same plantations that were kept before. The camps were created by the military and the only way for African Americans to be free from these camps would agree to go back to work, the same work as slavery. The article speaks specifically about the experience of Joseph Miller, a freed slave that was put into a camp with his family. Miller was faced with the choice to join the military. He was left behind in the military and treated unfairly. Not only did Miller face the consequences of the military but also his family passed away while he was gone, only weeks apart. These camps were only there if freed African Americans did not face society's abandonment and fall fatally from disease and starvation. At one point observers thought the race would completely die out as fatality rates skyrocketed.
No matter what life will never be "equal" for African Americans in our modern world, it won't be equal for any colored group of people in a white-dominated society. It's unbelievable to think that this has been going on for so long and no change has come, the changes that did, did not solve the issues.
The question I want to leave with is, how do you think our society would be set up if we kept to the idea of not seeing color like the video said? Do you think the classification of wealth would be built differently or would there be a different classification separation?