The Ask A Slave <\/i>video series features Jordan Black answering questions she experienced as a living history character at the historical Mount Vernon residence of George Washington. To set the context, she wears clothes that female slaves would usually wear, plays 19th<\/sup> century flute music, and sits in a simply furnished living room with a framed drawing of George Washington in the back. The trademark of the series is the humor that Lizzie Mae, her character, uses to answer the questions, invoking satire especially through sarcasm. Despite the lighthearted nature, the videos expose that ignorance and underlying racism are still very present in our society.<\/p>\n Jordan Black\u2019s message comes across more clearly thanks to her decision to use questions from only white people. Of course, this reinforces the slave-time separation between whites and blacks, which further help contextualize her video. The choice also underscores that many white people are either completely ignorant or simply uneducated about slavery. No example highlights this more clearly then in one of the women\u2019s relentless questioning of how Mrs. Washington gets her tea in the middle of the night since the slaves are sleeping. This not only shows a deep misunderstanding of a slave\u2019s role, but also exposes the woman\u2019s misunderstanding of slave treatment. A further, more direct commentary on present day racism occurs when a different girl asks, \u201cdo you have any white friends,\u201d exposing the fact that our society is still inflicted with deep lying color awareness. In the context of the video, this reality is a poignant reminder that while slavery is conquered, racism is not.<\/p>\n Olivia\u2019s excellent post about Wilentz\u2019 discussion of abolition drew my attention to Jordan Black\u2019s method of commenting on the abolition movement. Thanks to Lizzie Mae, we get a unique perspective that, at least in some ways, that brings history into the present tense, meaning that, unlike any historical book, the commentary is not marred by the influence of time. Thus, Black chooses ignores any exploration of the difficult odds that abolitionists faced, instead choosing to undermine the abolitionists\u2019 supposed moral enlightenment. To do this, she shows the abolitionists discussing the sheer amount of black people in Virginia and how uncomfortable it makes him. The abolitionists also compliments Lizzie Mae on her good point, \u201ceven though she is a woman.\u201d Lizzie Mae responds by saying, \u201cone thing at a time,\u201d alluding to the fact that she freedom was first on the agenda, equality second. Olivia discussed a similar attitude when she talked about the decision many leading women\u2019s rights activists made \u201cto put the anti-slavery movement to the forefront\u201d during the Civil War.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Ask A Slave video series features Jordan Black answering questions she experienced as a living history character at the historical Mount Vernon residence of George Washington. To set the context, she wears clothes that female slaves would usually wear, plays 19th century flute music, and sits in a simply furnished living room with a … <\/p>\n