Hidden Gems in Black History: Black people existed in America BEFORE Slavery

Before Christopher Columbus, Africans arrived in the Americas. A full two centuries prior to Christopher Columbus “discovering” the Americas, evidence suggests that West Africans had already traveled over the Atlantic to reach the New World. Okay, let’s take a step back and discuss the definition of “discovery” alone. The act or process of discovering someone or something or learning about something previously unknown is what the term means, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The argument is that contrary to what most people assume, the existence of black people in America may not have originated with slavery. & What Really Happened? It was in 1492 when Christopher Columbus first set foot on American soil. He set out from Europe in search of a shorter way to Asia, but instead, he discovered the Americas. Columbus Day is celebrated annually on the second Monday in October in honor of the man who gained fame as the discoverer of the Americas. The second ruler of the ancient West African country of Mali is Mansa Abu Bakar II. An intelligent man, Mansa Abu Bakar wanted to explore what was beyond the Atlantic Ocean. In 1311, he sent a contingent of soldiers armed with abundant...