There is a sad part of the history of cotton that cannot be ignored. During a 72 year period, the market need for cotton fueled the inhumane trade of slaves. Human beings were killed, maimed, tortured and denied their rights in order to ensure that cotton demands were met.
A quote from a cotton picking slave that is heart-wrenching and that reminds us the extents of human cruelty is that of Mary Reynolds, "It was work hard, git beatins and half fed ... . The times I hated most was pickin' cotton when the frost was on the bolls. My hands git sore and crack open and bleed." Excerpt from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938.
Cotton in all it's glory is not exempt of human pain. We hold close the memory of all who suffered, and hope that this is a lesson that history will truly teach all of us, market demand for a product is never reason to cause so much suffering.
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