.jpg){kind=link}
History has been used to justify slavery and, over time, to enforce some of the most ridiculous anti-Black summertime “rules.”
Ice Cream: One of the weirdest Jim Crow-era restrictions kept our people from eating vanilla ice cream except on July 4. This is all the more ironic, considering an enslaved man, Edmond Albius, made the mass cultivation of vanilla possible in the first place. The cherry on top? Even the famous ice cream truck melody comes from a song called “Nigger Love A Watermelon! Ha Ha Ha!”
Watermelon: Since the first minstrel shows, anti-Black depictions have weaponized watermelon against our people, using racist caricatures to create stereotypes. But the truth is that the superfood is an intrinsic part of Black freedom. Enslaved people grew and sold the fruit, which allowed them to purchase land, build wealth, and help create opportunities for each other.
Pools: Anti-Blackness didn’t stop at food. Our access to swimming was intentionally limited with segregated pools. Some racist operators purposely drained their pools, and others even poured acid into the water to burn protestors for swimming in whites-only pools.
This history proves that racism has always been baseless and foolish. Right now, anti-Black people and policies are seeking to set us way back. When we know the historical games they’ve played, we can go around them and do what’s necessary to build our Black-centered future. And that’s the sweetest victory of all.