This feature has been inspired by the passing of John T. Wills, Jr. who remained a supportive connection to me and my work since I began this process. His book Legacy: A New Season was dedicated to his son and grandson. He transitioned Dec.19, 2017. Rest in Power.
Here is a quote from Legacy: “What this extraction of captives did was markedly influence the cultural and demographic landscapes of both Africa and the Americas. The Middle Passage has also been said to mark the origin of a distinct African social identity. For example, in America these people came to be known as “Negro”, which is a Spanish word that means “Black” but no Spanish country refers to its people of color that way. Another significant point to note was that Europeans did not refer to themselves as “white”. They would identify themselves usually by the country they were from until America was born. “ (pg. 56)
Welcome to this new FAN MAIL feature. Through the years Kaolin has received an abundance of emails with thoughtful messages about her work. We thought it was time to share them with you and hope you do benefit from reading about other people’s experiences and opinions regarding racism. Do feel free to send in your own perspectives.