“...our brains become magnetized with the dominating 
thoughts which we hold in our minds, and, by means with 
which no man is familiar, these “magnets” attract to us 
the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which 
harmonize with the nature of our dominating thoughts.” 
~ Napoleon Hill

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” ~ Proverbs 
23:7 KJV

“We become what we think about.” ~ Earl Nightingale

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch 
your words, they become your actions; watch your 
actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, 
they become your character; watch your character, it 
becomes your destiny.” ~ Lao Tzu

There is widespread belief today in a concept known as 
Systemic Racism - something evolved from the practice 
of many “white” Americans owning “black” African 
slaves.

It is wise for us to examine history for a better 
understanding...

The English word “slave” derives from the Latin 
“Sclavus Slav”, from the frequent enslavement of Slavs 
in central Europe during the early Middle Ages.

But the practice of slavery began in the Ancient World, 
and often resulted from an initial act of compassion. 
Later, more about people I call Compassionate 
Caretakers.

Perhaps the oldest story began when a young Hebrew 
named Joe ran into Egypt one day. He was quickly 
captured and imprisoned as a suspected spy. His jailors 
soon realized Joe had a great talent: a skill we would 
call today, psychotherapy.

Now, the Pharaoh of that time was troubled by bad 
dreams. He heard about this Joe guy in his jail and 
sent for him. Joe and the Pharaoh had many “sessions” 
together.

Joe was a good listener. He interpreted the messages 
from the Pharaoh’s subconscious and offered him advice 
and suggested solutions.

Over time, the rapport and trust between the two men 
grew into an unbreakable bond of love and friendship; 
so much so that the Pharaoh appointed Joe to manage the 
affairs of all Egypt.

Meanwhile in Canaan, where Joe hailed from, the people 
in the entire region were dealing with a devastating 
famine. Joe’s dad, Jake (a.k.a. Izzy), sent most of his 
other sons to Egypt to buy food.

Long story, much shorter: On their second trip to 
Egypt, the Pharaoh found out about the plight of his 
dear friend Joe’s family. He told Joe to have Jake move 
his entire family and their livestock to Egypt. He 
dispatched a caravan of carts to help transport the 
children, and told Jake to leave all possessions behind 
because the Pharaoh would provide everything they 
needed.

The Pharaoh gave Jake a large parcel of Egypt’s finest 
land to settle his family upon, and the 12 tribes of 
Israel grew and lived in peace and abundance in the 
land of Egypt for many years.

Now, many years had passed since the deaths of that 
Pharaoh, Izzy and Joe, and faded completely from memory 
were the bonds of love and friendship between the three 
men.

The current Pharaoh was a xenophobe. He FEARED people 
who looked different, spoke a different language, and 
practiced different customs. He was afraid the growing 
population of Israelites might make war and overthrow 
him.

So, he ordered they be treated harshly and be forced to 
do hard labor. He thought that demoralizing them and 
stunting their egos would deter them from rising up. 
Thus, the first recorded practice of slavery was born 
of FEAR.

A later Pharaoh ordered the first forerunner of Planned 
Parenthood - the post-birth abortion of every male 
infant. One boy, named Moe, escaped the slaughter, but 
that’s another story.

The Ancient Middle East was much as it is today: 
endless wars. They fought over land, resources, women, 
children, insults - any excuse would do.

Now, after attacking and defeating a city, some leaders 
- like Alexander the Great - would order the complete 
slaughter of every living thing, including young 
children and livestock. Al probably thought it was 
merciful to end their lives quickly rather than leaving 
them to die of slow starvation with no one left to care 
for them.

Others - Compassionate Caretakers - felt it better to 
keep survivors as slaves. Often they would teach them 
their ways and attempt to assimilate them into their 
culture. Others would demoralize many of them, 
especially the boys, out of FEAR they would someday 
rise up seeking revenge.

The slavery as practiced in America was born, not of 
Fear, but of GREED: Greedy “black” Africans who 
captured other “black” Africans, and sold them to 
greedy traders, who sold them to greedy farmers wanting 
cheap labor.

Now, many slave owners were Compassionate Caretakers, 
who thought of their imported African laborers as an 
underclass - needing food and shelter in exchange for 
useful work. They provided some children with a 
thorough education, so they could function as servants 
in the home. Others were educated in agriculture so 
they could actually manage the operations of the farm.

The 1619 Project created by Nikole Hannah-Jones 
presents American history as a legacy of slavery from 
the point-of-view of African slaves. It is a valid 
point-of-view. 1619 was the year the first African 
slaves arrived in Virginia.

But that is not an American story. It is a British 
story. The colonies were part of the British Empire.

From the point-of-view of the European descendants who 
founded the States of America, the story began in 1776. 
It is a story of anti-slavery and the beginning of an 
ongoing struggle to achieve equality for ALL people.

The Declaration of Independence began with the 
assertion that, “All men are created equal.” (Yes, they 
used the word, “men.” Equality for women was a later 
chapter in the ongoing struggle.)

The Declaration contained a rather long list of 
grievances against the King of England. Among these 
was, in the original draft, one which began, “He has 
waged cruel war against human nature itself, in the 
persons of a distant people who never offended him, 
captivating and carrying them into slavery in another 
hemisphere, determined to keep open a market where men 
are to be bought and sold...”

The delegates from the colonies of North and South 
Carolina would not consent to a unanimous declaration 
unless that section was stricken. The other delegates 
gave in, believing the battle for abolition would be 
easier fought in a free America rather than as British 
subjects.

(Ironically, Great Britain abolished slavery before 
America did.)

Abolition was finally achieved almost a century later 
during a horrible and bloody Civil War.

But the struggle for equality was far from over, as the 
mindset of Compassionate Caretakers did not end with 
slavery. Many freed slaves stayed put as paid servant 
employees. Some continued as sharecroppers - farming on 
land owned by their former masters. Most moved to 
cities where, even in the North, they were offered jobs 
in subservient occupations.

But none were treated as equals, but as members of an 
underclass: segregated from “white” society and in need 
of caretaking.

Constitutional amendments and laws were passed over the 
years which guaranteed equal voting and numerous other 
legal rights.

But, as late as 1960, “black” Americans were still 
thought of as an underclass - segregated and forbidden 
to participate as equals with “white” Americans. So, 
legal rights were not enough. The time for the quest 
for CIVIL rights arrived at last.

Thousands rallied, marched and spoke, led by Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr. (in my mind, the greatest American 
hero so far). King’s followers were courageously 
peaceful, even when faced with violent opposition.

Most members of my generation grew up hearing the words 
of Dr. King and allowed them to move from our heads 
into our hearts. We embraced desegregation. We learned 
to work together, play together, laugh and cry 
together, break bread together, and be amused by each 
other’s bigoted parents. We loved, dated and married 
each other, and had children together.

Over our lifetimes, we came close - really close - to 
achieving King’s dream of a “color blind” society.

But there are still a few genuine racists among us. No 
amount of amendments or laws can ever eliminate them.

Every civilized society has laws against murder. God 
Himself commanded against murder through Moe (yes, that 
Moe). But there will always be murderers among us.

Worse yet, there are among us, those who CREATE 
contemporary Systemic Racism. There are generally three 
groups of them:

First, the “Compassionate Caretakers” who, I suppose, 
will always be among us. If they cannot find enough 
underclass “victims” to care for, then they will plant 
a whole new crop of them.

Second, the exploiters who profit from the industry of 
victimhood.

Third, the Marxists who, originally launched by the 
Soviet Union, have been attacking America for about 70 
years (long game, indeed). Their goal: weaken the great 
sleeping giant, who was woken by Imperial Japan in 1941 
and by bin Laden in 2001, by dividing us.

Chief among their tools today is using the 1619 Project 
as the SOLE basis of the American history curriculum 
taught in schools today. Among its assertions: 
“Anti-black racism runs in the very DNA of America”.    
                

If America is still hostile toward “blacks” and impedes 
their opportunities for success, then it’s hard to 
explain why millions of “black” Africans immigrated to 
America in recent decades. Most of them have prospered 
very well. But their descendants are being taught they 
are victims.

Perhaps the most bizarre and definitely the largest 
group of racists in America today is young “white” 
people who hate and loathe...THEMSELVES and all other 
“white” people because they are “white”! They believe 
they are inherently evil and are shamed solely because 
of the color of their skin. Talk about stereotyping!

This belief system is codified in the book, White 
Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. It was assigned by the NEA 
as required summer reading for all American public 
school teachers.

So, there really IS a lot of racism in America today, 
and it IS systemic: taught in America’s public schools. 
Perhaps it’s not such a bad thing many schools won’t 
reopen this fall, after all.

If children are subjected to the repeated suggestions 
that they are victims or shamefully evil, those 
inculcated beliefs will permeate through every aspect 
of their entire lives. It will define for them who they 
believe they are.

Don’t sign up for that class!

Your Friend and Servant,

Ken Klemm - Florida, S of A

P.S. If I had to design an American history curriculum, 
and was only allowed to base it on the life and words 
of one person, I would choose Dr. King. What he 
understood and taught about America’s history and its 
promise is all one needs to know about America. He 
called future America the “promised land.”

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