Through the Lens of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

by Vinita Moch Ricks

This book details the author’s journey of awareness (understanding) about how the slave trade continues to be secretly interwoven into our lives today. She provides many examples (dehumanizing stains) to get the reader to connect the dots and move beyond the lies that continue to be told. Many profit-driven financial institutions with their negative traits remain today. Part I opens our lens by answering the question “Where are we?" Millions of Africans were moved to the New World after 1) the Christian church, 2) European governments, and 3) the first multi-national corporations organized for economic gain. New financial institutions were created to collect the taxes and manage the stolen land, labor and lumber (natural resources). Part II is more historical. The lens is focused on "How did we get here?" The longitude continents (Africa and the America) met the latitude countries (Europe and Asia). Each had different geography, resources and lifestyles. Part III looks at the different ways these two types of people (latitude and longitude) see each other and interact post-Slave Trade. Latitude countries and their lifestyles now dominate the World. The lessons learned from the Trade are identified. Part IV recognizes the mental games people play that perpetuate the dysfunctions of a world in post-Slave Trade conquest mode. The unconscious wounds that emerged from the Trade need to be acknowledged and healed. These unacknowledged policies, games and mindsets from the Transatlantic Slave Trade (1441-1888) continue to perpetuate in-justices and instability, destroying people and the planet. It keeps the world in conquest, terror alert mode shaping human interactions and expectations. The author seeks the truth so that we can envision (imagine) a world beyond this man-made tragedy.

229 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2013

Reviews

[University of Chicago Magazine]

Vinita Moch Ricks, AM’74
Author

From Dialogo (Spring–Summer/14): "Vinita Moch Ricks, AM’74, formerly a professor of psychology and the social sciences at Harold Washington College, examines heretofore-unacknowledged policies and mind-sets from the transatlantic slave trade (1444–1888) and how they continue to perpetuate injustices and instability in the world today."