No one is trying to demean the experience of any other group. However, it's a historical fact that slavery in America was one of the most dehumanizing and demeaning chapters in human history. The Motherland was stripped of some of it's best and finest and the continent is STILL suffering the effects of slavery. African Americans and Native Americans are still dealing with the effects of slavery, look at our economies, schools, crime, alcholism, drug rate. We are still subjected to racism. Any other minority group can come to this country and be treated better than Black Americans. Whether they be Asian, Hispanic, etc.
How many groups came to this country, were sold as chattel, raped, worked from sun up to sun down, whipped and treated as less than animals? Our families were torn apart and the black community TODAY still suffers from the division of the family that occurred during slavery.
Native Americans were also forced to leave their home lands, treated as savage and ravaged by war and disease all in the name of Manifest Destiny. The Asian population that came to the West Coast to work the railways was also treated badly, but they were not treated like slaves.
I did my Senior Seminar Paper in Law School on Reparations. It's interesting how America has seen fit to compensate other groups except for the descendents of slaves. I think that Black Americans whose ancestors toiled this soil deserve a piece of the pie. So we have no reparations, affirmative action, minority scholarships, etc. I guess the general thinking is after 100s of years, we are supposed to be on a level playing field??? Give me a break.