Atlanta Blackstar reported last night about a children’s book that depicts the conditions of enslaved Black people as happy and satisfied with their own enslavement. A Birthday Cake for George Washington, written by Ramin Ganeshram and illustrated Vanessa Brantly-Newton, focuses on an enslaved chef named Hercules who loves cooking for President George Washington. The story takes a turn for the worse when Hercules and his daughter Delia run out of sugar.
The book makes the institution of slavery look like a 200-year-long vacation where Black folks are enjoying being deprived of basic human rights. The truth isn’t as colorful as the book would indicate. Washington was a notorious slave owner who reportedly owned 200 enslaved Black people at the Mt. Vernon plantation.
“When he was 11 years old, Washington inherited 10 slaves from his father’s estate. He continued to acquire slaves — some through the death of family members and others through direct purchase,” according to The New York Times. “Washington’s cache of enslaved people peaked in 1759 when he married the wealthy widow Martha Dandridge Custis.”
The country’s first president was a member of the planter class, as were other founding fathers, including Thomas Jefferson. As president, Washington was a firm supporter of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, which allowed slave owners to retake runaway enslaved people — even if they escaped to free territories. Mt. Vernon was the scene of horrific violence toward Black people and prompted many to escape.
Parents have created a Change.org petition to get rid of the book and remove it from Amazon. The author has received backlash for writing such a book. Twitter users realized the dangers of a book like this.
Remove "A birthday cake for George Washington" from https://t.co/Cta1hwqMvj – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/lTUqUHOmhb via @Change
— TheBougieMama (@TheBougieMama) January 15, 2016
will America ever stop trying to cover up the country's racism🤔 https://t.co/iQR24lHyvh
— Jean Marie🧞♀️ (@theghanaiandoll) January 15, 2016
@ATLBlackStar @zellieimani wow that's really whitewashing history. Next they will say slavery was non union labor.
— Shevone Torres (@FnabwShevone) January 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/aannddYOUare/status/687807926413737984
Next they'll say that Africans volunteered to adventure to unknown land to work for wage, land and respect. https://t.co/B0KhViwWpS
— KJ McRae (@KJMcRaee) January 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/CHI_SOM/status/687818693351362560
https://twitter.com/vlexiz/status/687820028729675776
https://twitter.com/MADs_Mind/status/687815153170149376
https://twitter.com/prime_bee/status/687823382210080768
https://twitter.com/kymiller00/status/687832185756229632
Systematic historical revisionism https://t.co/uQ8ur1KiGq
— Feldie (@Feldie) January 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/justinkirshon/status/687847293119156224
Sidenote: he owned 300+ slaves. Try hiding that. https://t.co/Zjc2BiZm9x
— Notorious Negro (@rovert_sivad) January 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/_itsFriDAE/status/687867495936557056
https://twitter.com/tinykinseyscale/status/687860734966022144
Published 2016:
"Hercules, a slave, takes great pride in baking…[but] there is one problem – they’re out of sugar" https://t.co/244APDaAvS— David Kaner (@DavidKaner) January 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/Thembi_Ngcai/status/687901804928086016
Is this what #DonaldTrump means when he says "Make America Great Again"??? 😳😳😳 FOH https://t.co/58S8BDFJeE
— Jasmine Wow (@Jmo120) January 15, 2016
Jesus seize the wheel… https://t.co/rDYcrijb14
— Nope. (@JoyAnnReid) January 15, 2016
A Birthday Cake for George Washington by Ramin Ganeshram https://t.co/Xnt01FhXsi via @amazon … YALL SEE THIS SHIT. EVEN AMAZON CAN'T RECOM
— Dave B (@themongoslade) January 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/BloodyBHoney/status/687796168269631488
