Franchesca Ramsey Breaks Down 5 Very Bad Excuses For Slavery

The institution of slavery is one of the darkest eras in American history, and yet there are still people out there who seem hellbent on sugarcoating the actual horror of it all. In response to Michelle Obama’s beautiful DNC speech  on July 25, Bill O’Reilly claimed that the slaves who helped build the White House were “well-fed,"  as if that changes the fact they were enslaved. And earlier this month, Donald Trump called the slavery era a good time of growth in our country  (despite the fact that the economic boom was thanks to free, forced labor). 

Well, comedy writer, actress and activist Franchesca Ramsey is having none of it. On the latest episode of MTV’s “Decoded,”  posted on Aug. 17, she breaks down five excuses for American slavery that simply need to stop. These excuses include: “Slaves were happy to have work,” “America wasn’t the only country that had slavery,” and “Africans sold their own people into slavery.” 

Ramsey’s response to the latter about Africans selling slaves is important:

“This is historically true, but that doesn’t absolve European and American slavery, or make it OK. It just means that West Africans also have a history to reckon with, just like us. And every modern celebrity that thinks blackface is a joke!” 

Watch the full video above.