Determining if slave breeding actually occurred or if it is merely a myth has been for the academy one of the most controversial topics in the study of American slavery. Sources such as slave narratives, oral histories, and abolitionist materials were assumed to be unreliable, and plantation financial records documenting the practice have yet to be located. While professionally trained historians are generally incredulous that slave breeding existed, black American collective memory continues to testify to its truth.

It’s mid-afternoon on a Friday, back in August 2019, the first week of school, and Annette and I bust the kids out early to take a trip. There are questions, games, and mild disagreements, and after an extended period of what Annette calls “crunkness,” during which time Selah, six, and Ida, four, run around quarter clothed and negotiate for sweets somewhat successfully, we pile back into the car and inch our way through typical New Orleans midday traffic.

Daryl Davis, a musician, author, and race relations expert was assaulted with flying bottles during the Cub Scout parade in 1968 when he was 10. This was his first experience with racism. He spent years studying and researching to answer the question he had about racial hatred.