What does a congregation in Charleston, South Carolina, have to do with a Hollywood superstar? In the aftermath of the Academy Awards spectacle, according to ethics and compliance consultant Lisa Schor Babin, they have at least one thing in common.
Several weeks ago, I took a trip with friends to the South. During our stop in Savannah, Georgia, I strolled through the city’s historical district, hearing stories of haunted houses and mysterious sightings.
In one beautifully landscaped square, our guide casually mentioned that beneath us was a burial ground with the unmarked bones of the nameless enslaved African-Americans and other indentured servants who helped build the city. Then, she regaled us with stories of the American war heroes, many of whom were slave owners, whose signs and statues commemorating them were prominent everywhere.
At the next stop, in Charleston, we also toured the city’s charming historical neighborhoods and got a sense of the deep history and the pride of its residents. Here, too, we heard tales of city landmarks built by the enslaved and indentured, with nary an eyebrow raised by our guide or the other visitors. Here again, I was caught off-guard by what seemed like casual acceptance of a historical narrative that included human slavery.
