Recently, I attended a Moral Mondays event with the Poor People‘s Campaign in downtown Raleigh. I brought my five-year-old German Shepherd, who was very friendly and adorable, if I can say so myself. An older black man remarked, “Wow! A peaceful German Shepherd, they used to chase us and bite us.” I was glad he was not intimidated by my dog, but I also took a moment to reflect on what he was truly communicating. I was very taken aback by this casual yet disturbing comment about his experiences and sentiments towards dogs. I thought about photos I’ve seen of protesters being hosed down and chased and bitten by dogs. I began to think about the historic relationship between African-Americans and dogs.
It is widely known that the enslaved were not permitted to read. Additional restrictions included marriage; permission was needed for travel, but did you know the enslaved also could not own dogs in most parts of the United States well into the Jim Crow Era?
The Jim Crow Museum researched our founding father, George Washington, who in 1792 wrote a letter to his estate manager at Mount Vernon. In the letter, Washington addressed issues about dogs on the estate. The president was very clear about his expectations regarding African Americans and their ownership of dogs. “It is not for any good purpose Negros raise, or keep dogs; but to aid them in their night robberies; for it is astonish to see the command under which their dogs are.” Washington also stated that if a “negro presumes under any pretence (sic) whatsoever, to preserve, or bring one into the family, that he shall be severely punished, and the dog hanged,” cited in the University of Virginia Press…