Brazilian president: Our countries share fight against 'blemish of slavery'

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CNN

Brazilian president: Our countries share fight against 'blemish of slavery'
By Eugene Scott
Updated 1:20 PM ET, Wed July 1, 2015




CNN)—The United States and Brazil will be able to overcome future challenges related to race because of progress the two countries have made dealing with their past, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said Tuesday.

Rousseff, who was in town to meet and have a White House press conference with President Barack Obama, addressed the striking parts of history the two countries share: Slavery.

"I think Brazil and the U.S. have a great deal in common," Rousseff said. "We are two countries that have a hallmark in our history, something that we actually had to fight to overcome. I'm talking about the blemish of slavery."

The legacy of slavery has recently returned to the political and cultural forefront, following Southern states that are debating the prominence of the Confederate Flag, a symbol many see as celebrating the enslavement of blacks.

Read more: http://us.cnn.com/2015/07/01/politics/brazilian-president-discusses-overcoming-slavery/index.html

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

1. He could say the same about England and the U.S. ...

England has a long history with the slave trade.

[forest444]

2. And of course the opium/heroin trade.

This being the real reason we were dragged into Afghanistan.

Pax Britannia...

[appalachiablue]

6. For sure, and many folks don't know this.

[appalachiablue]

5. Many Americans don't know this since Britain had few slaves there, rather in the Empire.

France, the Dutch, Portuguese and Danish in the Virgin Islands were also involved in the Atlantic Slavocracy.

[MisterP]

3. oo, a lot of defeated Confederates fled south TO Brazil

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederados

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade_of_Africa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel,_Princess_Imperial_of_Brazil

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. Do they have room for more?

Maybe a lot of defeated teabaggers and other fundies might want to move, after last week's Supreme Court "DISASTERS".

[locks]

4. 40% of all slaves imported

to the Americas, 4.8 million, went to Brazil and Brazil has more people of African descent than any other country except Nigeria.

[appalachiablue]

7. Correct, major destination. Visited Brasil once, beautiful what I saw.

[melm00se]

11. Here are some additional slavery statistics

Slave Trade
http://www.slaverysite.com/Body/facts%20and%20figures.htm

Slave "Value" (or how much did a slave "cost"?)
http://www.measuringworth.com/slavery.php

Table #2 (Disbribution of Slaves and Estate Value among Free Adult Males in South - 1860) is interesting as it shows the breakdown of how many "free adult males" owned slaves (80% did not which makes you wonder what their motivations were to fight the Civil War).

[Sunlei]

9. President Rousseffs statements make me happy that WH meetings are with President Obama.

Instead of some Leaders of Countries pounding the presser tables about ramping-up the "Global war on drugs".

[Judi Lynn]

10. Beautiful change of pace. It's more like a meeting between human beings. n/t

[locks]

12. Thanks for the posts

and the information about slavery. We have done a poor job educating our children about slavery but some places in the south, like plantations and museums, are making efforts to show real not idealized history. New Orleans has a large exhibit about slavery (which the Times-Picayune calls "harrowing&quot at the Williams Research Center New Orleans History Collection in the French Quarter which started in March and will run through July 18. New Orleans had the largest number of markets where slaves were auctioned; it also contained the largest number of free blacks in the nation.