In the struggle for human rights, every once in a while, a true rarity pops up that helps encapsulate the core meaning of the dialogue. According to the Washington Post:

It’s not possible to know how many people alive today are the children of enslaved people, but we shouldn’t be so surprised that they still exist because the generations since slavery can be counted on one hand, said Hilary Green, an associate professor of history at the University of Alabama. “We don’t want to talk about it because we as Americans … we’re always forward thinking. We never think enough about the past.”

The American tendency toward selective memory applies doubly so to slavery, Green said. “How do you remember this violent period in history, the owning of people? It does not fit our narrative that we tell about ourselves. … We ratify the myth rather than deal with the truth.”

Age 88 Daniel Smith, is still alive.  He is in a category that is nearly unheard of today: “The child of someone once considered a piece of property instead of a human being,” according to the article.

Read the full article: At 88, he is a historical rarity — the living son of a slave