The Black McCains

This week, the Wall Street Journal featured a piece that should remind many of how interconnected we are by race and the legacy that America's "original sin" has wrought. WSJ's Douglas Blackmon interviewed Charles McCain Jr. and his sister Mary McCain Fluker. The two share a name and a legacy of the GOP presidential candidate--they are descendants of slaves held at the Mississippi plantation owned by the family of Sen. John McCain's great-great-grandfather.



In this presidential election, race has featured prominently. From Rev. Wright to conjured up images of "terrorists," the sometimes blatant and other times coded messages about Sen. Barack "Hussein" Obama have been something his campaign has been forced to contend with. But this is America where just over four decades ago black Americans could not peacefully exercise their right to vote and discrimination was codified into law or accepted social mores. Just over one-hundred years before that, the majority of black America was held in bondage--and those that were fortunate enough to find freedom lived a precarious life that could be disrupted at any time.

What we often forget is that this is not simply the history of black America, but the rest of America--particularly white America--as well. Slaves had owners, and companies that insured those owners, and businesses that depended on forced labor. From the rebuilding of the White House after its destruction after the War of 1812 to the economy of even the Civil War North, slavery affected nearly all aspects of American life.

This week, the Wall Street Journal featured a piece that should remind many of how interconnected we are by race and the legacy that America's "original sin" has wrought. WSJ's Douglas Blackmon interviewed Charles McCain Jr. and his sister Mary McCain Fluker. The two share a name and a legacy of the GOP presidential candidate--they are descendants of slaves held at the Mississippi plantation owned by the family of Sen. John McCain's great-great-grandfather.

The past is prologue.

Neglected in the heat of the presidential campaign, this illuminating story can be found here. Or the brief interview can be seen above.

See also:

Some of McCains Black Relatives Support Obama