Posted on 07/11/2009 2:21:16 PM PDT by nickcarraway
AMERICA’S first lady, Michelle Obama, fought back tears yesterday as she toured a former Dutch slaving fort similar to the one in which it is believed her ancestors were held before being shipped to work on plantations in the deep south of the United States.
On the second day of President Barack Obama’s historic trip to sub-Saharan Africa, the first family flew from the capital, Accra, for a tour of the restored 17th-century Cape Castle, previously one of the biggest slave outposts on the West African coast.
“As painful as it is, I think that it helps to teach all of us that we have to do what we can to fight against the kinds of evils that sadly still exist in our world, not just on this continent but in every corner of the globe,” said the president.
Before the visit, Michelle Obama, whose great-great-grandfather, Jim Robinson, her oldest known relative, was born into slavery on a rice plantation in South Carolina, was made “Queen of the Cape Coast” by traditional chiefs of the region.
The couple and their children, Sasha, 8, and Malia, 11, then descended the narrow staircase into the dark dungeons of the ocean-side fort where thousands of slaves were kept for up to 12 weeks waiting for a ship to dock.
Thousands of shackled African slaves huddled in squalor before being herded onto ships bound for America through the “gate of no return”.
Ghanaians are jubilant that the first black American president has honoured their country with his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa. They have greeted the trip more as a homecoming than an official visit. “Akwaaba[welcome home],” proclaim banners strung across Ghana’s main highways.
In a keynote speech to parliament, Obama acknowledged his African roots, saying he had “the blood of Africa within me”.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Now there you go and ask the question that no one dares mention.
He’s taking notes for his own camps.
"Free Republic, LLC is a non-commercial, limited liability company founded and operated by Jim Robinson, a private citizen of Fresno California."
Did Obama apologize for his Luo tribe’s slave-raiding and slave-trading proclivities yet??
You need to catch up. An article about FR said the owner’s name was Jim Thompson.
Didnt her great-great grandfather liberate Auschwitz?
That’s the painful part, His folks sold her folks.
I was just making a joke. LOL
Yes, why not speak to the ‘slavers’ of today?
Two of the world’s biggest charlatans and race scammers milking it for all they are worth.
“do what we can to fight against the kinds of evils” of the the Wesat African Arab/Muslim slave trade ?
Hmmmm....any Muslims still invading Black Africa and being “Evil” ?
Trying to get 200 year old Sympathy from this Trip ? Repriations ? You’re NOT the President of Africa....But you can stay and rule if you want, ignore what the people want, just do your Marxist thing in Africa, it will be a lot easier....no constitution to slow you down.
Recollection is that it is Obama's side of the family that were the 'Arab/African slavers' - while Michelle's probably were working in our cotton fields. (Obama did need seem 'authentic' black for his story.) There 'genes' probably met a long time ago; in a much different circumstance.
Does it hurt his black half or his white half?
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Both sides were slave-owners...
Guess that’s enough to give him a bellyache at the thought...
Just how does one rave at those there white folks in America about guilt for past slavery ???
I've never seen her in a cape but wasn't she also recently crowned "Queen Of The Too Small, Too Tight Cardigan?"
Wouldn't it be funny if it was Obama's ancestors who were the ones who sold Michelle's ancestors into slavery?
Gee, they left out the part about him returning to the continent of his birth. I wonder how they managed to forget to mention that part?
Coincidently, 0bama flew near Tripoli where Muslims enslaved white people, including Americans.
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