The line between West Indians and African-Americans was fuzzy... Most of us already know that the slave trade circulated blacks between the U.S. and the Caribbean. We also probably know that after the Haitian Revolution, many Haitian slaveholders moved to Louisiana to start over, bringing their Haitian slaves with them. But West Indians also turned up in free states very … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: Black History Facts
Thursday Open Thread
Thursday Open Thread: African Kings and Queens of the Past
Askia Muhammad I (ca. 1443 – 1538), born Muhammad Ture in Futa Tooro, later called Askia, also known as Askia the Great, was an emperor, military commander, and political reformer of the Songhai Empire in the late 15th century, the successor of Sunni Ali Ber. Askia Muhammad strengthened his country and made it the largest country in West Africa's history. At its peak under his … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: African Kings and Queens of the Past
Thursday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People
Happy New Year! Over the years, the Gullahs have attracted many historians, linguists, folklorists, and anthropologists interested in their rich cultural heritage. Many academic books on that subject have been published. The Gullah have also become a symbol of cultural pride for blacks throughout the United States and a subject of general interest in the media. This has … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: The History of the Gullah People
Thursday Open Thread: More Black Scientists and Inventors
James Edward Maceo West (born February 10, 1931 in Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia) is an American inventor and acoustician. Along with Gerhard Sessler, West developed the foil electret microphone in 1962 while developing instruments for human hearing research. Nearly 90 percent of the more than two billion microphones produced annually are based on the principles of … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: More Black Scientists and Inventors
Thursday Open Thread: Black Indians
Charley Patton (died April 28, 1934), also known as Charlie Patton, was an American Delta blues musician. He is considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", and is credited with creating an enduring body of American music and personally inspiring just about every Delta blues man (Palmer, 1995). Musicologist Robert Palmer considers him among the most important … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: Black Indians