enslaved africans
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How American Slavery Helped Create Modern-Day Policing
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in what we now know as Virginia. Their voyage was, no doubt, filled with unspeakable horror and death, and their presence would forever change the United States—especially when examining the way this country approaches policing. When enslaved Africans arrived in America,…
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Tracing Your Roots: My Confederate Ancestor Is on Monuments; Who Did He Own?
The debate over Confederate monuments inspires one woman to find the descendants of people her memorialized ancestor enslaved. Dear Professor Gates: I just read your previous column regarding the Confederate general Wade Hampton III, of whom I am a direct descendant. In it, you addressed whether there was a connection between Gen. Hampton and a…
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Descendants of 272 Slaves Sold by Georgetown Say They Want Reparation$$$ Now!
As reported by The Root when the story first broke, the storied academic institution of Georgetown owes its entire existence to the sale of enslaved black men, women and children. In 1838 the sale of these humans by Jesuit priests saved the school from bankruptcy; to this day, it remains a thriving academic institution, thick…
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New Zora Neale Hurston Book Will Tell Story of the Last Survivor of the US Slave Trade
Eighty-one years after Their Eyes Were Watching God debuted, a new work by Zora Neale Hurston will appear on bookshelves. In 2018, publisher HarperCollins will release Hurston’s account of the last-known survivor of the American holocaust known as the U.S. slave trade. In 1931, Hurston spent three months in Alabama interviewing Cudjo Lewis, who came…
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6 Historic Structures in America That Were Built by Slaves
During the Democratic National Convention Monday, first lady and all-around black girl magician Michelle Obama gave a riveting speech. Honestly, there’s not a Michelle Obama speech out there that’s not inspirational, motivational and spirited. Ask Melania Trump. However, there was a part of Obama’s speech that spoke to the heart of every black person, and…