As I prepare to write my co-authored piece, “How Corporations Became White” (which may change to How Corporations Became White Men), my research has revealed that corporations or a similar business form have been given personhood status and rights longer than slaves (maybe as far back as Greek slaves and possibly as far back as Hebrew slaves in Egypt), women, children, native Americans, black people, and white men who are non-land owners. It’s somewhat disturbing that for as long as there’s been private business we’ve prioritized commerce over human rights. In other words, a corporation could own most of us and contract about most of us before we could own property or enter into contracts on our own behalf.
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