Afew weeks ago, a debate broke out on Twitter about a disturbing story. Some White people were in denial that White Floridians used Black babies as gator bait. Of course, we would like to think that no one would do such a thing, but the truth is, in the name of racism, White people treated Black people as subhuman, particularly in the south. Using Black babies as gator bait was a blatant attempt to terrorize Black people, which is why so many postcards and artifacts remain.
It’s essential to realize many newspapers published in the 19th century discussed using children as gator bait in vivid detail. For example, in a snippet in The Roanoke Times in 1890, a writer describes how English alligators were difficult to catch. The subheading read, “Babies Wanted for Crocodile Bait.