Chattel slavery persisted because good people stayed silent

Evidence

The Agassiz descendants wanted to confront the past, say what they knew to be true, and begin addressing all the harm that had happened as a result. The Taylors, on the other hand, were reluctant. I firmly believe that the evil institution of American chattel slavery persisted for over four hundred years because good people chose to remain silent or turn a blind eye. Silence is violence; silence is complicity. Dr. King knew this; so did Bishop Moore. I knew it; so did Susanna and Marian. In the six weeks between writing me that first message on Facebook and being on this Zoom call, the Moores had mobilized more than forty other relatives to sign a letter they had written collaboratively, supporting my claim as Renty’s descendant and wanting to do whatever they could to repair the damage their ancestor had inflicted on my family, as well as the world, vis-à-vis his racist theories. — Tamara Lanier, From These Roots, 885

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s earlier work on sacrifice and complicity — the ‘silence is complicity’ claim parallels moral complicity arguments in the ritual sacrifice article.