Tuesday, May 19, 2015

''Need You'' Bracelet

   The Need You Bracelet is a conversation starter; a reminder that we all need each other, need Jesus Christ, every day.
   In the late 1700's and into the mid 1800's, Muslims had very active slave markets just as they do now, and in this time period much human cargo was shipped to the America's. Since there was little communication among people, the horrors of slavery were not widely known until twenty-some newspapers, many smaller publications, and books, were distributed; and the Underground Railroad was active, but had to remain secretive for the safety of all involved. These anti-slavery men and women came from all walks of life and communities, Black and White.
   When books like Harriet Beecher Stowe's ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' was distributed, the people of the United States became incensed at the brutality of many slave owners. There were some slave owners who were kind, and some broke the Democratic law that slaves must not be taught to read or attend any kind of Church service. Some of the publishers of the abolitionists are detailed in other articles of this blog.
   The Democratic party stood firm for slavery and made many extreme and harsh laws to keep their 'businesses' in human trafficking alive and prosperous. The Republican party was formed in 1854 by anti-slave activists who worked hard against the self-serving slave owners who forced their way in government.
   The Bracelet is also an encouragement to learn much of our history that has been cruelly denied the past few generations, and a people without their history will soon implode through ignorance. History must come from a full and honest research from original documents, or it is mere opinion.
   People who were enslaved were forbidden to speak their native language, to speak of their homeland or any memories of family, they were forbidden to read or have any means of communicating in large crowds. They were isolated, demeaned, treated worse than animals. they were forbidden their history...how vital it is for us to have our history...and that history includes Scripture...we must fight for our history, for each other, and purposefully put Jesus Christ in the center of our lives.