Below is a list of American companies that developed from slavery:
*CSX
Is it fair for companies to retain wealth that has been acquired through the slave trade, especially when slavery brought about pain and suffering for many black Americans that continues to wreak havoc on future generations? And although many of these companies still exist -- shouldn't they be made to relinquish the funds that is unfairly in their possession?
In my searches I found another corporation from the slave trade, and it has been around for over 300 hundred centuries!
The company is called Unilever.
William Hesketh Lever, born in 1851 (seen-r) was the founder of Lever Brothers, a company that would soon make up one big corporate entity in the year 1930.
The company produces products made of oils and fats -- principally soap and margarine, and is now one of the worlds biggest companies.
The company produces products made of oils and fats -- principally soap and margarine, and is now one of the worlds biggest companies.
On the company's website it reads that William Hesketh Lever, wanted to help people look good, feel good, and get more out of life with his products. Apparently, he made cleanliness and hygiene very popular in Victorian England.
What the company website fails to tell you is that this same man William Hesketh Lever, used forced labor of slaves to build his empire.
Lever built a community and called it Port Sunlight, which housed and supported all his workers. In order to live at Port Sunlight workers had to comply with Lever's intrusive rules and mandatory participation in activities; working for him.
Lever conned his worker's into working for him by offering them things that they didn't have, like housing and wages. However, the catch 22 was that if these worker's decided to move away, so then would their housing and wages.
You have to hand it to Lever, he was smart enough to think of a way to get his projects done all while getting his money back in the process, while making it appear as if he didn't harbor forced labor. He invested wages into laborers who became his tenants, and then received the wages right back when it came time for the laborers to pay their rent!
During the early 1900's, Lever used palm oil produced in British West African Colonies and when his supply ran out, he traveled to other colonies in search of more.
In 1911, Lever visited the Belgian Congo to use his slaves to retrieve palm oil; his attitude towards the Congolese were reportedly very racist, controlling, brutal, and is very well documented.
During the early 1900's, Lever used palm oil produced in British West African Colonies and when his supply ran out, he traveled to other colonies in search of more.
In 1911, Lever visited the Belgian Congo to use his slaves to retrieve palm oil; his attitude towards the Congolese were reportedly very racist, controlling, brutal, and is very well documented.
Belgian administrators, missionaries, and doctors protested against the practices at the Lever plantations, and although the Belgian Socialist Party were called to investigate the matter -- the forced labor continued up until the 1960's.
Should this company not be investigated and made to pay for its divisive, racist, and unreasonable acts? It is documented that Lever was a liberal man, but apparently only "liberal" when it came to his pockets.
2008 LA
