Talk Africana

In 1812, José Antonio Aponte, an African slave in Cuba, played a crucial role in organizing one of the island’s most significant slave rebellions.

Yekatit 12 marks one of the most heinous atrocities perpetrated by Italian occupation forces during the 1930s. This tragic incident unfolded in the aftermath of an attempted assassination of Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, the Viceroy of Italian East Africa, also known as the 'Butcher of Ethiopia.' The Yekatit 12 massacre is often described as the worst in Ethiopian history.

Madison Washington was an enslaved African who led the Creole slave revolt in November 1841, during which 18 black slaves commandeered the slave ship, the Creole. This uprising ultimately secured freedom for 128 enslaved individuals.

Admiral Sir Harry Rawson was a renowned British naval officer who became famous for leading the 1897 Benin Expedition, which ended in the capture and sacking of Benin City, the eventual fall of the Benin Kingdom, and its incorporation into colonial Nigeria.

The Pearl Incident which took place in 1848, marked the largest recorded nonviolent escape attempt by enslaved Africans in U.S. history.

Canterbury Female Boarding School: How the First School for African American Students Was Destroyed by a White Mob in 1834.

Sekuru Kaguvi was a prominent leader in the late 19th century in what is now Zimbabwe who was hanged for rebelling against the British during the First Chimurenga war in 1897.

Ottobah Quobna Cugoano was a Ghanaian abducted as a child and trafficked to Britain who rose above the horrors of slavery to become a famous abolitionist, working for the freedom and dignity of his fellow oppressed people.

The Ohio Black Laws of 1804 were some of the earliest legal codes that explicitly discriminated against African Americans. These laws, enacted by the state legislature imposed numerous restrictions on the rights and freedoms of African Americans living in the state.

As the first African-Italian duke in history, he is often referred to as "The Black Duke of Florence." His life and reign, though relatively short, left a lasting impact on Florence and the course of Italian history.