Daga Alexandra Toms
“Mun zauna a bakin kogunan Babila, muka yi kuka sa’ad da muka tuna da Sihiyona” (Zabura 137:1, NIV).
A wannan shekara ta 2019, ita ce cika shekaru 400 na cika shekaru 1619 da aka kai mutanen Afirka na farko da aka yi bauta zuwa Arewacin Amurka. A shekara ta 20, wani jirgin ruwa da ke ɗauke da rukunin farko na bayi daga Afirka ya isa bakin tekun da yanzu ake kira Virginia. Bisa ga bayanan, akwai "'yan Afirka XNUMX da baƙar fata" a cikin jirgin waɗanda, lokacin da suka isa, an tilasta su shiga cikin bauta ko bautar da aka yi.
Majalisar Ikklisiya ta kasa (NCC), abokiyar hadin gwiwa ta ofishin Cocin Brethren's Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, tana aiki kan batutuwan da suka shafi wariyar launin fata da daure jama'a. Hukumar NCC ta gudanar da wani taro na musamman domin murnar cika shekaru 400. Darakta Nathan Hosler ya taimaka wajen tsarawa da kuma shiga hidimar tunawa da ake yi wa lakabi da "Ranar Tunawa da Makoki," a lokacin da aka yi bikin tunawa da bayin "20 da rashin hankali" daga Afirka - "20 kuma" 'ya'yan Allah. . An shimfida furannin tunawa da guda ashirin da daya a wurin bikin tunawa da kowanne daga cikin bayi na farko. Yayin da aka ajiye kowace fure don tunawa, an karanta kalmar “Ɗan Allah”, inda mutane suka amsa da “Ashe,” kalmar gargajiya ta Afirka ta fassara, “Haka yake.”
Sa’ad da hidimar ta zo ƙarshe, waɗanda suka halarci taron suka zagaya da itacen da ke tsaye don bege da kuma biki, “tunani ne na alkawuran Allah cikin halitta, na ceton bayi, cikin bangaskiyar Kirista fansa na Yesu, da wahayin wahayi na warkar da al'ummai." Sabis ɗin ya haɗa da nuna ƙarfin hali da dagewar waɗanda suka yi tsayayya da gwamnatoci azzalumai don ’yancin ’yan’uwan Allah, tare da bege na nan gaba inda dukan mutane da dukan al’ummai za su san warƙar Allah.
Sau da yawa ana ɗaukar bautar wani abu ne na baya, kuma ba wanda muke a matsayin ƙasa. Duk da haka, bauta ya kasance wani ɓangare na Amurka fiye da yadda ba a yi ba. Shekarar tunawa da ita ita ce shekarar 1619, duk da haka an kama mutane daga Afirka kuma an kawo su Amurka tun 1501. Hukumar NCC ta yi bikin tunawa da 1619 a matsayin wata hanya ta fara bautar da Amurka. Bauta ta ci gaba har tsawon shekaru 246, ta ƙare tare da wucewar Kwaskwarimar Kwaskwarima ta Goma sha Uku a shekara ta 1865. Soke bautar ba yana nufin cikakken 'yanci ba. Har tsawon wasu shekaru 103, dokokin Jim Crow sun hana 'yan Afirka-Amurka da mutanen da ke da cikakken 'yanci da zama ɗan ƙasa.
Duk da yake ana iya ɗaukar bauta da wariya a matsayin “abu na dā,” waɗannan ayyukan suna da zurfi cikin tarihin ƙasar kuma har yanzu suna shafar mutane masu launi. Wannan bikin zarafi ne na tunawa da baƙin ciki kowanne daga cikin miliyoyin ’yan Adam – da aka yi cikin surar Allah – waɗanda aka bautar da su, aka azabtar da su, aka kashe su da sunan bauta, rarrabuwa, da sarautar fari. Dole ne mu tuna kuma mu yi baƙin ciki cewa yawancin iyalai na Amurka sun amfana daga waɗannan ayyukan ta'addanci, ta hanyar aiki ko rashin aiki. Domin wannan, mun tuba.
- Alexandra Toms abokiyar majalisa ce a Ofishin Gina Zaman Lafiya da Siyasa a Washington, DC