Who Are African-Americans? Part 1

Photo by Sam Burriss on Unsplash

History

Shalom mishpacha! That is Hebrew for: Peace, family! I would like to speak with my people. Specifically, those who identity as African-American. Those whose ancestors arrived to the Americas, Caribbean archipelagos , and the Occident as a whole, via the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. I would like to submit some thought-provoking inquiries.

1. Prior to the 1619 Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, what did African-Americans call themselves?

2. Do you suppose it was African? Did you know that there are 54 countries that constitute the continent of Africa? Which country do African-Americans come from?

3. What language/mother tongue did African-Americans speak? Was it African-American Vernacular English? Was it Ebonics?

4. Before 1619. Before the slave ships, what type of sartorial did African-Americans wear? Wheat construction Timberlands? Sagging pants revealing ones boxer briefs?

5. What cuisine did African-Americans eat? Fried chicken? Pork chops? Chitterlings? Catfish? Jumbo shrimp gumbo? Snow crab legs with butter dipping sauce?

6. Before the slaves ships and the Middle Passage, what religion (if any) did African-Americans practice? Was it Judaism? Christianity? Islam? What modality of spirituality? What Holy Book did they revere?

7. When African-Americans are asked the aforementioned, will the answers be monolithic, or heterogeneous?

My people are destroyed for want of knowledge. Because you rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as cohen (priest) for me. Because you forgot the Torah (Law) of your God, I will also forget your children.

Hoshea 4:6,(CJB)

Why is it that, when African-American history is taught, it always begins in the 1600’s? Why does it always begin with antebellum slavery? Did African-Americans just pop up out of nowhere, and then end up on slave ships? Why is the Public School System so dedicated to relegating African-American history, to 1619–1968? How come “Black History Month” always begins with the Civil Rights Movement? What is the drawback on this history? When it comes to African-American history, is there an insufficiency in historical data?

Stay Tuned

In this series of posts, you, dear African-American, are about to receive pertinent information from reputable sources. Information from scholars. Scientists. Historians. Theologians. Archaeologists. The Hebrew Bible. So, who exactly are African-Americans? Stay tuned.

Until next post,

Shalom, mishpacha!