How does one make a slave?
On a Saturday morning, seven middle-school students sat in the historic cottage of a Black midwife, situated next to the historic home of a civil rights leader, and pondered that fairly difficult question.
This was the first of many pondering moments for the students of the Black History Study Palm Beach County Program, launched in October 2024, as an educational collaboration of the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, the Black History Project, and the Palm Beach County African Diaspora Historical and Cultural Society.
So just how does one make slave? The class leaders took the children back to ancient Africa, during a time when the continent’s countries were ruled by different tribal leaders. Queens and kings were depicted as animated characters, as the students watched a cartoon movie about the ancient, and sophisticated, civilizations of Africa.
“I’ve lived in Ghana,” said instructor Jabari Ali, Broward County teacher. “And there were no animals roaming about. Africa is comprised of civilized, developed societies, always has been.”
The students learned how slave tradesmen from Europe and North America used tactics that one student described as “human trafficking” to transform a once independent, African person into a slave. The overarching theme of the lesson was the making of a slave was driven by economics, and the slave trade prospered, as America was built on free labor.
Creating a place and space for this type of historical explanation and dialogue is just the first part of the Black History Study Palm Beach County Program. Taking the lessons outside the classroom and into the community is phase two. The goal is to marry the students’ everyday existence with their history and cultural lineage in ways that are immersive and memorable, having a positive effect on their self-esteem, self-image and mental health.
But the first lesson of the program began where it all began – in Africa – through the Middle Passage, across the Atlantic into the Americas – and the class ended with a discussion about how enslaved people were “broken” into mental and physical submission, in order to be become subservient. Students read the historical writings of a slave owner and watched a clip of the movie ROOTS to gain a better understanding of the psychological and physical torture that was inflicted with strategic precision.
“You make a slave through the indoctrination of fear,” said Ali. “And that fear is passed down through generations, in order to survive.”
Learn more about the Black History Study Palm Beach County Program, click here.