Baptist often emphasizes the scale and complexity of the financial activities connected to slavery, including the intricate networks of trade, finance, and agriculture that depended on it. This broader perspective helps explain why the institution of slavery was so deeply entrenched and resistant to change. A shocking element could be his examination of the brutal conditions of slavery and how they were justified economically. For example, Baptist's might detail how slave owners rationalized the inhumanity of the system through economic arguments or how they worked to maximize profit despite the cost to human life and dignity.

I found Baptist's work, though hard to stomach, easier to read than Sundiata's explosiveness. However, I did agree when Sundita said that slavery was not raced in the beginning because I am aware that Greece was very much the beginning of slavery, to my knowledge. I, however, can't entirely agree with him when he says that slavery was not indeed raced because we have clear evidence against that because of living in the future. Still, the economy, one more thing, would not have survived without the practice at the time.

This article makes me want to research further the ongoing inequalities that further the get-over-it argument used against black people when asking for actual reparations and not just basic human decency.

Love in the book, at times, is shown to be a burden. Dana's love for Kevin is tested when they are separated across periods. She struggles with the pain of separation and the anxiety over whether Kevin, as a white man, will be changed by the racism of the time. In this sense, love becomes a source of the emotional burden that weighs her down, adding another layer of worry to her already precarious situation. Dana's relationship with Rufus proves how love can become disillusioned with obligation and coercion. Dana's duty to protect him and preserve her lineage creates a painful moral conflict. Rufus's desire for Dana's approval and affection, despite his abusive behavior, further complicates their relationship, turning love into a form of psychological trauma bond. Alice is also able to embody this struggle. Her complex feelings towards Rufus, born out of coercion, survival, and the impossible circumstances she endures, illustrate how love and survival can become inseparable, especially in a context where power dynamics distort genuine feelings. Throughout Kindred, the character's experiences show that love cannot always overcome the forces of racism and power. Despite her empathy for Rufus, Dana is forced to see and recognize that her bond with him and the care she holds for him cannot save him from himself or change the reality of his cruelty and privilege. This realization is pivotal for Dana's understanding of her limits and agency when she is both in the 19th and 20th centuries. The novel also suggests that love can transform positively and negatively over time. The bond formed from the love that Dana and Kevin share begins to evolve as they endure trauma together, becoming more nuanced and tempered by the harsh and opposite realities they face as an interracial couple. Meanwhile, Dana's feelings towards Rufus shift from reluctant care to a firm resolve to protect herself from his destructive love.

The relationships in kindred across time present love as a complicated, complex, and, at times, unexplainable event capable of uplifting people and driving their actions yet also entangling them in dilemmas that challenge their sense of self and morality.

Love in the book, at times, is shown to be a burden. Dana's love for Kevin is tested when they are separated across periods. She struggles with the pain of separation and the anxiety over whether Kevin, as a white man, will be changed by the racism of the time. In this sense, love becomes a source of the emotional burden that weighs her down, adding another layer of worry to her already precarious situation. Dana's relationship with Rufus proves how love can become disillusioned with obligation and coercion. Dana's sense of duty to protect him and preserve her lineage creates a painful moral conflict. Rufus's desire for Dana's approval and affection, despite his abusive behavior, further complicates their relationship, turning love into a form of psychological trauma bond. Alice is also able to embody this struggle. Her complex feelings towards Rufus, born out of coercion, survival, and the impossible circumstances she endures, illustrate how love and survival can become inseparable, especially in a context where power dynamics distort genuine feelings. Throughout Kindred, the character's experiences show that love cannot always overcome the forces of racism and power. Despite her empathy for Rufus, Dana is forced to see and recognize that her bond with him and the care she holds for him cannot save him from himself or change the reality of his cruelty and privilege. This realization is pivotal for Dana's understanding of her limits and agency when she is both in the 19th and 20th centuries. The novel also suggests that love can transform positively and negatively over time. The bond formed from the love that Dana and Kevin share begins to evolve as they endure trauma together, becoming more nuanced and tempered by the harsh and opposite realities they face as an interracial couple. Meanwhile, Dana's feelings towards Rufus shift from reluctant care to a firm resolve to protect herself from his destructive love.

The relationships in kindred across time present love as a complicated, complex, and, at times, unexplainable event capable of uplifting people and driving their actions yet also entangling them in dilemmas that challenge their sense of self and morality.