Singer, Toni Braxton, was recently blasted by myth-busters and urban legend debunkers when she stated she would not shop on Black Friday. Braxton mentioned that the origins of the expression Black Friday came from the days of slave auctions — days when auctioneers would sell slaves at a discount.
Thank you to this Hollywood writer for sending us on the right path to truth — click to read his quick bio — he is a smart guy – –> Dave Matt
Her claim was quickly dismissed by whomever it is that dismisses or debunks certain things, and it was quickly pointed out (incorrectly) that the term Black Friday actually started in the 1960s when police began referring to mad traffic jams on the day after Thanksgiving and it had nothing to do with the slave trade.
Well guess what? TONI BRAXTON IS RIGHT! The term Black Friday started in the slave trade and was again brought back into use in the 1930s and 40s when white merchants demanded a cut of black merchants weekly receipts — and historians know it. Why is it being denied?
The term Black Friday was used during the slave trade to describe Friday afternoons in Port Au Prince, Haiti and Havana, Cuba as far back as the 16th century. These were days when large amounts of slaves who had gone unsold were given one last chance on the auction block before the ships departed for Louisiana.
“It was thought to be too expensive to keep slaves around who were injured or sick or old and they had these sales in the two major ports that were used to unload slaves at very cheap prices,” said historian “Raymond Totondi” — a physician and research genealogist who works at the Skylight Institute for Historical Enlightenment in Bern, Switzerland.
“People with less money that the average slave owner would converge on these sales and the streets would be crowded to overflowing. Most people could not afford to buy slaves but an average person would take a chance for $60.00 in silver for a slave who could not walk or was lame, and use him as a shoe repairman or a to operate a sewing machine or a loom. Many old women were used as housekeepers and maids by white families of modest means as a way to boost their status in the community. ”
Totondi continued:
“There was no way they would ship these people back to Africa or to other parts of the Caribbean, so they reserved Fridays –usually the last Friday of the month — for selling this kind of overstock in human trade. The problem was that so many people were seeking bargains that most of the slaves who were being sold went for more than market value.”
“Even still, the market place was so crowded with onlookers and bargain hunters that local businesses thrived. It was then decided to have these Black Friday sales once a month and each slave would actually be bought by a fake bidder. It became a big ruse and continued for nearly 60 years.
“The real intention was to drive people to the market place to drive up the local economy. When the sale of these fake slaves was over and the local merchants counted out their daily earnings for goods, they had to give 20% of their profits to the slave sales company. Handing this money over to the slave traders angered the local merchants and they too started to call these days Black Friday because they felt that they were being robbed by the slave traders. They said the salve traders had black hands — hands tarnished by coins and always held out demanding their cut. Later, the term Black Hand traveled to Italy where it was used to describe extortion or protection rackets.”
So there you have it, folks. Toni Braxton’s story is NOT an urban legend. Of course a lot of big business wants you to think it’s all an urban legend, but it is not.
According to another historian, the term Black Friday entered back into the language during the Great Depression when black owned shops and poultry farmers in the south started having to pay “protection” money to merchants with bigger businesses. Most of the small businesses were owned by Blacks and they had to hand a certain amount of money over to the local white merchants so they could stay in business. They were warned that it would be a “Black Friday” if they didn’t pay.
Toni Brxton — you were right !
Thank you for the truth.
The part of this that may untrue is that these sales happened the Friday after Thanksgiving. There may have been Friday sales, but Thanksgiving wasn’t officially declared as a holiday until President Lincoln did so.
Toni Braxton is a moron, as is anybody that falls for her tripe.
This thing from Snopes is incorrect. It pains me to side with Toni Braxton, but she was accidentally right. Sometimes fake things turn out to be true.
I would like to see actual documents that prove this maybe you could show me some documents that prove this to be true. if this is true their should be some kind of record from that time. god bless.
No, no, no. Slaves were sold all the time including Fridays but the term BLACK FRIDAY has no connection. Slaves were never called black, they were called slaves, negroes, bucks and wenches, nigers, just look at real slave auction posters…is the Friday after thanksgiving called Negroes Friday? Ctfu
You make us all look like fools with this nonsense.
Dr. Totondi has the documentation that proves the origins of the expression.
The author of this article is a pathological liar. There was no such as thing as a Black Friday that had anything to do with slavery. Black people eat that type of shit up like nothing else because it gives them excuses for many things, including for things they had done wrong to white people who had done nothing to them, or were even kind to them. The story is a complete hoax.
Who is Dr. Raymond Tatondi though? You refer to him in several articles on this site as a historian, physician, zoologist, human behaviorist and a plastic surgeon so which is he? I googled his name and he only appears on this site. Also, you keep changing the name and location of the Skylight Institute. Is it in NYC or Bern? Does Dr. Tatondi have a website, an email address? Methinks this is a satire site and Damien is fooling you all. Always look for sources. This blog site doesn’t provide any.
The Internet is great because you can look up sources as well. Can’t find the institute (Skylight Institute for Historical Enlightenment) with the credible sounding name, anywhere no website, no peer reviews or anything. You’d think a world renowned physician like Dr Totondi would have a couple pages on himself when you google his name… I call BS on this crapola.. and I’m black..get it right or get out. LvX
I can’t find information on this anywhere except this website. Where is the original article and why isn’t linked in this blog? We have to be more responsible with what we put on the net and always cite our sources.
Wow this is a load of crap… it’s an accounting twrm that didnt come into play until loooong after the abolishment if slavery. Stop making us black folk look atupid by believing this crap. This is one fake information website defending another click-bait website’s post. Btw, tony braxton’s fb page auto posts fake stories from only one click bait website dumbasses.
Okay — I promise not to let black folk look “atupid”
What really annoys me about caucasian folks always want to find a reason to find PEOPLE IF COLOR, to be wrong & how they feel!! STFU ALREADY!!
Uh UH — you don’t know me, BISH !!!