Cataloging Oppression
by Hayden DeRouen
A quick Google Search of the word catalog will give you the following definition: “a complete list of items, typically one in alphabetical or other systematic order.” For instance, when you view a digital library’s collection, you are viewing a catalog. When you scroll through a store website’s products, you are viewing a catalog. When you research a local museum’s inventory, you are viewing a catalog.
And when you read an old farm ledger’s list of enslaved humans, you are viewing a catalog.
Still, I cannot help but feel bittersweet about this index. Despite knowing that this list is designed to help many today, I see the catalog in front of me as evidence of oppression. Every name on the list was robbed of their freedom and humanity. They were treated as property, and relegated to numbers on a page. Here they are again, as numbers on a digital page.
However, while this catalog documents oppression, it also has the intent of representing the enslaved as people. We acknowledge the contributions of every name on the list. And while nothing can amend the robbery of freedom, descendants of people and institutions who benefited from slavery are still encouraged to do what they can to help give back to the enslaved.
At Layton Castle, I found many documents that detailed the enslaved’s contributions to the Bry-Layton family. I am proud of the owners for deciding to dig up all the old, dusty ledgers and paperwork with the intent to publish information within them. With that being said, I am also sure there are many old families in the United States with similar documents in attics or filing cabinets. I cannot encourage digitizing and publishing these enough. Not only would this act aid many families tracing their ancestors, but it would also give credit to those who rarely receive any.
To any who have their own catalogs of oppression, place them in the public eye. Fear not the judgment of the public, as there is nothing wrong trying to right the wrongs of the past. Do not let the embarrassment of today stop the solutions of the future.
