The 400th
Most Americans are unaware 2019 marks the 400th anniversary
When it occurred to me several years ago that 2019 would mark the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved Africans brought to America, I began asking Americans how America should observe the 400th, if indeed it should be observed,
Invariably, every person I spoke with was unaware of the 400th until I informed them, and when I did, they were awestruck.
My mission became to utilize my role as a journalism professor, news columnist, filmmaker and public speaker to get the word out about the 400th, to encourage activities to observe it. In the process of doing so, I learned much more about slavery that makes this site relevant beyond 2019.
This site is designed to commemorate and inform about the first enslaved Africans in America and their descendants. It was important to me that 2019 not pass without some acknowledgment of their presence, some recognition of their existence.
Why the 400th is Important
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America, for better or worse, is what it is today through its experience as a slave-holding nation.
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With increased acts of racism and bigotry in America, it is incumbent upon the good people of America and the world to take a proactive stand against the mindset today that led to what occurred 400 years ago yesterday.