The legacy of slavery comes from the sustained political, legal and economic effort to link permanently an entire group of people to poverty - and to mystify that systematic disenfranchisement by making up something called race, which could serve as a distraction.

In this quote, Sarah Churchwell, a historian and scholar, explains how the legacy of slavery has had lasting impacts on society, particularly in terms of poverty, political, legal, and economic systems. She argues that the enduring effects of slavery are not merely historical but are embedded in the continued disenfranchisement and systemic inequality faced by certain groups, particularly African Americans. Churchwell also suggests that the concept of race was artificially constructed to distract from the real economic and political forces that kept entire groups of people in a cycle of poverty and exclusion.

The origin of this statement lies in Churchwell’s work examining the social and historical dynamics of race and class in the United States. By pointing out that race was created as a way to mystify the deep-seated, systematic inequality brought on by slavery, Churchwell is critiquing how societal divisions were fabricated to justify the continued exploitation and marginalization of African Americans. This perspective challenges the idea that race is a natural or inherent trait, arguing instead that it is a social construct used to perpetuate discrimination and economic control.

Churchwell’s focus on the economic and political aspects of slavery’s legacy highlights the enduring structures that keep marginalized communities at a disadvantage. By emphasizing the effort to link people to poverty through laws and policies, she critiques the idea that racial inequalities are simply a matter of personal or cultural differences. Instead, she points to the systematic efforts to maintain economic control over certain groups, illustrating how these structures have been perpetuated long after the formal abolition of slavery.

Ultimately, Churchwell’s quote underscores the artificiality of race as a tool of control and distraction from the true causes of inequality. It calls for a deeper understanding of how historical systems of slavery, poverty, and disenfranchisement have shaped modern-day social and economic disparities. Her analysis challenges us to consider how the legacy of slavery still manifests in contemporary issues related to race, class, and inequality.