Feedback: Withdrawal of Book “A Birthday Cake for George Washington”

It is no secret the former well known United States President George Washington had contact with slaves … reports are that he even cohabited with at least one slave. Vision’s recent post that due to criticism the powers at be have decided to withdraw this new book on an event well recorded of our slavery past is most disturbing to say the least.

In Canada it is well documented that many slaves escaped using a route known as the “underground railway” and went to NOVA SCOTIA … even today many descendants of former slaves are highly respected citizens in this region and elsewhere in Canada.

As a poet, social activist and word Smith, any attempt at censorship is a no no for me. Let us not suppress or tamper with history.

I would not accept anyone using freedom of speech to slander or defame anyone … not even my worst enemy. Such form of behaviour is tacky and certainly not my cup of tea.

On the other hand the freedom to use intellectual imagination to present a story should not be tampered with as many races faced/endured the indignities of slavery. The Jews were enslaved … in fact slavery is very much alive today … even in the form of mental slavery.

It is not unthinkable to imagine that not all slaves were treated poorly or equally. As atrocious as the thought and practice of slavery was … some slaves may have enjoyed certain privileges. Even in prison some inmates are given more freedoms than others … For example, more “freedom” than say a death row inmate who would invariably get an almost 24 hours lock down. In prisons some inmates are known as an “orderly” … they help guards in certain areas to run the place … like the clinic or the kitchen etc. non security duties. They are usually non-violent inmates. Inequalities exist every where.

A Senior Cabinet Minister in the Simpson Miller led PNP government said ” the only time we had full employment in Jamaica was during slavery”. Should he be excommunicated for stating that fact. Let us be more tolerant of “free speech”. In a free society the right to free speech differentiates democracy from fascism. Journalists could not operate if there was intolerance to freedom of thought in the written or spoken word. Many journalists are targeted for death because they dare to unearth corruption etc.

Sad Day

This is a sad day for literary thought when a book on historical facts is “criticized” and as such has led to the book’s “withdrawal” … such is wrong. If the book has errors, we should correct same. Let all views contend as we recommit ourselves to the strengthening of democracy.

I long held the view that an attack on free speech is like support for racial segregation. I am on record as saying “Racism is an affront to decency”. In my Letter of the Day, published in the Whig -Standard Newspaper, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, in the late 1990s. Slavery is an abomination as is violence against women or spousal abuse of any shape or form. We need to so reorder our society to remove atrocities … but do not kill the messengers or tamper with messages which record atrocities. Freedom is the right of free persons in a free society to freely express themselves.

Was slavery a form of racism or an activity for economic gain?

Freedom of speech is like the oxygen that allows a plant to breathe and ultimately grow.

Do not contemplate any action like a ban on the book “A Birthday Cake for George Washington” … let freedom of thought reign supreme.

Whether this freedom of thought/fact published is real or surreal.

Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie, is the Senior International Correspondent for Vision Newspaper Canada … who writes poems and has produced/voiced two CDs on poetry titled … “Diversity and Multiculturalism” while living and studying in Canada