It seems to me that much of the Americas is still deeply connected to their linage as slave colonies. The United States of America is the most prominent example of this in my mind, although that could be a product of me not being as familiar with the history of Latin America or even modern day Latin America. Statistics like the fact that Brazil had  used between 3 and 4 million slaves before slavery was abolished there in 1888 would suggest that slavery was just as, or even more important to Latin America than to its Northern neighbour. Still, one cannot ignore the legacy of slave ownership in America. Lasting institutionalized racism still lingers, although more often than not it is disguised. The post revolutionary American economy, and as such society, was built on the backs of slaves; America not only would not, but it could not possibly be the country it is today without their many forced sacrifices. So in that regard alone we see that the scars of slavery, while perhaps starting to heal over, still run long and deep. The classification of race in America seems not to have changed enormously either; large groups of diverse backgrounds are often homogenized. All black people are “African Americans,” all Caucasians “White,” and any one south of the Texas border “Latinos.” Of course, all of these groups (and the ones I haven’t mentioned) are made up of many, many nations and people, each with cultures as diverse and unique as the next, but under the American eye these differences; what makes each group special, are ignored. When done right, a mixed society is something to behold: cultures coming together and contributing their best to each others development. But when people are sorted into large groups and forced to conform it starts to lose anything beneficial. Society should be a melting pot, not a blender. To further add injustice, value has been placed on the umbrella groups; historically whites have had more power, and as such been considered more important in American society, than would other “races.” can imagine that the scenario has been repeated (or even came before) in Latin America. especially considering their own fascination with race. (Recall the Casta Paintings). When societies define their constituents, instead of letting them define themselves, an important part of those peoples voices are silenced. In my mind, the best we can do now as a Society in terms of reparations is too respect the sacrifice paid by those in the past, while working to ensure that we never repeat the tragedy of slavery in the future.

Thanks for reading