“I love getting my Union City newsletter and really appreciate all the hard work that goes into producing it,” writes May Jawdat. “I hate to write in only to complain, so please know that 99% of the time I am delighted and inspired by the newsletter's contents and share much of the info with friends and family. That said, Thomas Jefferson? (3/4 Quote of the Day) ‘Take not from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.’? The man owned human beings. Sure, it's an inspirational quote, if you forget the fact that Jefferson took plenty of bread from the mouths of the laborers on his estate. Please be wary in the future of lauding the sentiments of people who directly benefited from exploiting the labor of others. I expect better.”
photo: from a 2012 Ebony article about "Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty," an exhibit at the Smithsonian. photo by sonsofthesouth.net
photo: from a 2012 Ebony article about "Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty," an exhibit at the Smithsonian. photo by sonsofthesouth.net