Hate Sells...and We're Buying

F*** Your Racist History

It is no secret that slavery rests at the foundation of American capitalism and is often synonymous with the sugar, tobacco, and/or cotton plantations that fueled the Southern economy. What many may not know is that slavery also rests at the foundation of many notable corporations. From New York Life to Bank of America, Brooks Brothers to Aetna, many companies have benefitted from slavery. Some of the companies even acknowledged their involvement in slavery and offered apologies in an attempt to reconcile their tainted history but, is an apology enough? What about products like Aunt Jemima that use racist imagery, sports teams with stereotypically racist mascots, or tobacco companies who aggressively market menthol cigarettes to people of color? In this episode of F*** Your Racist History, we explore racism and its infiltration of American consumerism.