Peer Review #2

Sierra Dennis

The HUHouston2014 group’s presentation focused on how the lack of necessities and unfit living conditions had a negative impact on African slaves health and manifests itself in current health issues within the Black Community.

The thin clothing material distributed to the slaves in the winter caused frequent sickness amongst many slave communities. Many times the thin material for their clothing was simply burlap bags! This was not sufficient clothing for cold days. Slave masters only gave them clothes to determine with the slave’s gender, and often time more clothing was distributed to slaves based on their performance. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs were met but not efficiently. Shelter was provided but they were often small shacks expected to hold several families and often not adequately insolated. This is how sicknesses spread quickly; living in close quarters in cramped houses gave them considerable exposure to other sick people. They were also provided with inadequate bedding—straw beds—which caused them much discomfort at night. As previously stated, clothing was dispersed depended on status, a house slave or an outside slave. They were provided with minimal nourishment, only the scraps of food left over from the master’s dinner. The weekly food rations were often diets high in fat & starch. This type of diet created many health issues for slaves, but the diet has been continued in the modern community. Black people love “Soul Food:” macaroni and cheese, collard greens, candied yams, corn bread, etc., but this causes our community to have a high percentage of people with hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. The group’s solution was to incorporate healthy foods into our diets at home.

Captive in slavery, many slaves lost their sense of self. Due to abuse, ranging from beatings to rapes, many slaves also suffered from anxiety & panic attacks. Children in slavery were dying younger and reaching puberty early, which is what we learned at the African Burial Grounds Musuem. Children at the age of four were already performing adult duties, which wore on their small, undeveloped bodies.