The Breakfast Club - IDKMYDE: "NO TRESPASSING" Signs Are Racist AF

Episode Date: February 8, 2024

On this episode of #IDKMYDE, Ever seen a 'no trespassing' sign and wondered about its origins? Turns out, it's rooted in a dark chapter post-Civil War. From outrageous fines to auctions reminiscent of the enslaved period, discover the history behind these signs. So, the next time you spot a 'no trespassing' sign, you'll know it's more than just a warning – it's a symbol of a painful past.  IG: @_idkmyde_ | @BdahtTV | @blackeffectSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On today's episode of I Didn't Know, maybe you didn't either. I have a question. Have you ever seen a no trespassing sign? Did you know they were rooted in slavery? Because I didn't. I didn't know. Maybe you didn't. I didn't know. I didn't know. Maybe you didn't.

I didn't know. I didn't know. Maybe you didn't. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. All right, so let's hop into a time machine.

We're going to go all the way to the end of the Civil War. Okay? Black people are free, technically. But we still can't vote. so the white people of the time vote a bunch of white people in office and the first laws they make are no trespassing laws and why did they make these laws well it was an effort for white landowners to disadvantage black workers see if you go back to season one of i didn't know maybe you didn't either right here on the black effect podcast network we talked about down in charleston south carolina where i was educated Season one of I Didn't Know, Maybe You Didn't Either, right here on the Black Effect Podcast Network.

We talked about down in Charleston, South Carolina, where I was educated on different plantations. And the reality is the white landowners, they just own the land, but they didn't know how to cultivate anything on the land. Black folk, oh, we could survive, baby. I mean, growing our own fruits and vegetables, catching rabbits and catching fish. But wait, if you don't have any land, now you're trespassing. And what's the penalty for trespassing? Well, usually it was astronomical fines that poor black people just couldn't afford. So what did the white lawmakers of the time implement? You know what? New laws and new rules that said that white people could sell you off to other white people for the amount of months that it would take for you to pay off the fine.

So there would be auctions at the courthouse that were very, very identical to the auctions that were taking place 10 to 15 years earlier in the enslaved periods. But now, instead of enslaved individuals being auctioned off, they were criminals, you know, for trespassing. Simply put, no trespassing signs were designed to confine Negroes. It was a very easy way for white folks to continue the traditions of those enslaved periods. But now under the guise of new laws, they even had black codes where you could be arrested for not having a job, even if you didn't need a job. If a black person worked for a white person, he still had to call him master. They would have to get written permission in order to leave. These black codes was in Mississippi, South Carolina, that Jim Crow South.

So, yes, once upon a time in America, people were free to roam around as they pleased. And then came the Civil War in 1865. And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. I didn't know. Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag.

This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that?

Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zaka-stan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-a-stan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.