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Before there was American History there Was African History

Before there was American History there Was African History
From Ebony February 1989 some real truth about real history. Our story is on cosmic time. This is a painting of the people of Kush from the tomb of Seti I in Kemet about 1300 BC.

Fascinating article from the February 1989 issue of Ebony magazine. It starts talking of “Black biographies” with names from Africa’s Mali empire. Then it precedes to connect “Black” history with American history. The image with the ad is of people from Kush in the tomb of Seti I of Kemet. Yet the word Africa is mentioned no where in the ad. Fascinating.

History, it’s been said, is biography. yet some of the world’s greatest biographies, Black biographies are all but lost to history.

Sundiata. Mansa Musa. Sunni Ali. Askia Muhammad. Not exactly household names, but they were honored in their time as leaders of empires. Yet it appears their honors have vanished along with their empires.

But they weren’t the end of Black history. Only the beginning. Because Black history is an ongoing entity; a progression of brilliant biographies still being written.

And this time, they won’t be lost.

American history could itself be said to have begun with a piece of Black history when the death of Crispus Attucks in the Boston Massacre made him the first of America’s 600,000 war dead. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams made Black history, if not world history when he performed the first successful open heart surgery. Edward M. Bouchet made history when Yale made him the first Black in America to be awarded a doctorate. James B. Parsons went into the history books as the first Black federal judge in the continental U.S.

Charlotte Ray joined black history when she became America’s first Black woman lawyer. Madame C.J. Walker, when she became America’s first millionaire Black woman.

Black biographies have made and will continue to make Black history. That’s a lot of history, too.

By Nnamdi Azikiwe

The Mhotep Corporation uses its Keyamsha The Awakening brand to heighten perceptions and expand awareness. By producing content that engages, entertains and educates we create value for value relationships with our audience for mutual benefit. Mhotep is derived from the name of the architect and builder of the first pyramid in Kemet, so-called ancient Egypt. I formed the Mhotep Corporation in 2003 to produce and distribute 3D animation videos based on traditional African stories. Since then it has evolved to being a media production company including books. In a previous life I worked as a systems analyst developing solutions for government and multinational organizations. Born and educated in Washington, D.C. I have traveled to several places including Haiti, the Bahamas, Mexico, Canada, Nigeria (several times), Ethiopia (several times), Benin, Togo, and South Africa. I am married with three children.

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