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According to the international anthropological community, man
was first created in the continent which lies in the exact center of
earth - Africa. It has remained in place since earth’s formation
billions of years ago. Over time, due to tectonic plate shifts, the
great land mass broke away from its foundation of Pangaea
(Africa) and separated into seven continents (the earth’s plates
move on average of one inch per year). The first human migration
began with anatomically correct, modern man some 50,000 years
ago out of Ethiopia to the Middle East and later throughout Asia.
Many of the people found in these areas are not just slave
descendants; they are the original inhabitants.
The remaining original settlers of Asia are known as
Negritos and Negrillos (generally short, Negroid dark-skinned
peoples living in Oceania and Southeast Asia). The initial
Arabian, Indus Valley and Chinese civilizations were Negrito as is
supported in books like “The African Presence in Early Asia”
written by Ivan Van Sertima and Runoko Rashidi in 1997.
Consequently, China’s first two dynasties were black – the Xia
(2100 - 1600 B.C.) and the Shang (1600 -1100 B.C.).
Among the many indigenous, dark-skinned, tribal cultures
that continue to inhabit Asia are the Yemeni people of the
southern Arabian Peninsula; the Adivasi of India; the
Andamanese of the Indian subcontinent; the Nakhi in the Yunnan
Province of southwest China; the Mani of southern Thailand; the
Aetas of the Phillipines; and the Papuas in the island of Papua
New Guinea just north of Australia. Taim Bilong Tumbuna refers
to “The time before the white man came”. This is a time in which
the people of Papua New Guinea celebrate their ancestral
culture. The native Negroid population in Asia ultimately
decreased drastically due to evolution, miscegenation, and racial
cleansing.
All tribal cultures are a direct extension of the primary African
cultures. Ancient African, Indian, Chinese, and Native American
customs each shared the matrilineal line of descent, where
kinship is recognized through the female side of the family.
Africans took their knowledge of agriculture, art, science, as well
as many other contributions, and they spread it around the world.
Martial arts, the art of war and dance, was developed in the horn
of Africa and brought to Asia. Many were established as a rite of
passage for young males, such as N’golo, which originated in
Angola. It is patterned after the movements of Zebras in combat.
The donga is a six foot long, fighting stick.
Various honorable figures of Asia were indeed black as
corroborated in the book, “Origin and Development of Religion”
written in 1924 by Albert Churchward of London. Buddhism, the
world’s first missionary religion was founded by Siddhartha
Gautama of northern India. The original statues of Buddha in India
and regions such as Japan and Vietnam depict him as an
obvious black person with corn rows or tight little kinky twists all
about his head. Also depicted are the elongated ears found
traditionally among Maasai tribes people in East Africa. Strangely
enough, those famous features of Buddha remain today except
for the wide, broad nose, thick lips, and dark skin.
The ancient black Asian presence and historical significance
is seldom recognized. Africa is continuously excluded from the
equation of contributions to early civilizations, which is completely
backwards. Roughly five to ten thousand years ago nature
developed different races from the one black race. It won’t take
nearly as long for us all to become one people again.
was first created in the continent which lies in the exact center of
earth - Africa. It has remained in place since earth’s formation
billions of years ago. Over time, due to tectonic plate shifts, the
great land mass broke away from its foundation of Pangaea
(Africa) and separated into seven continents (the earth’s plates
move on average of one inch per year). The first human migration
began with anatomically correct, modern man some 50,000 years
ago out of Ethiopia to the Middle East and later throughout Asia.
Many of the people found in these areas are not just slave
descendants; they are the original inhabitants.
The remaining original settlers of Asia are known as
Negritos and Negrillos (generally short, Negroid dark-skinned
peoples living in Oceania and Southeast Asia). The initial
Arabian, Indus Valley and Chinese civilizations were Negrito as is
supported in books like “The African Presence in Early Asia”
written by Ivan Van Sertima and Runoko Rashidi in 1997.
Consequently, China’s first two dynasties were black – the Xia
(2100 - 1600 B.C.) and the Shang (1600 -1100 B.C.).
Among the many indigenous, dark-skinned, tribal cultures
that continue to inhabit Asia are the Yemeni people of the
southern Arabian Peninsula; the Adivasi of India; the
Andamanese of the Indian subcontinent; the Nakhi in the Yunnan
Province of southwest China; the Mani of southern Thailand; the
Aetas of the Phillipines; and the Papuas in the island of Papua
New Guinea just north of Australia. Taim Bilong Tumbuna refers
to “The time before the white man came”. This is a time in which
the people of Papua New Guinea celebrate their ancestral
culture. The native Negroid population in Asia ultimately
decreased drastically due to evolution, miscegenation, and racial
cleansing.
All tribal cultures are a direct extension of the primary African
cultures. Ancient African, Indian, Chinese, and Native American
customs each shared the matrilineal line of descent, where
kinship is recognized through the female side of the family.
Africans took their knowledge of agriculture, art, science, as well
as many other contributions, and they spread it around the world.
Martial arts, the art of war and dance, was developed in the horn
of Africa and brought to Asia. Many were established as a rite of
passage for young males, such as N’golo, which originated in
Angola. It is patterned after the movements of Zebras in combat.
The donga is a six foot long, fighting stick.
Various honorable figures of Asia were indeed black as
corroborated in the book, “Origin and Development of Religion”
written in 1924 by Albert Churchward of London. Buddhism, the
world’s first missionary religion was founded by Siddhartha
Gautama of northern India. The original statues of Buddha in India
and regions such as Japan and Vietnam depict him as an
obvious black person with corn rows or tight little kinky twists all
about his head. Also depicted are the elongated ears found
traditionally among Maasai tribes people in East Africa. Strangely
enough, those famous features of Buddha remain today except
for the wide, broad nose, thick lips, and dark skin.
The ancient black Asian presence and historical significance
is seldom recognized. Africa is continuously excluded from the
equation of contributions to early civilizations, which is completely
backwards. Roughly five to ten thousand years ago nature
developed different races from the one black race. It won’t take
nearly as long for us all to become one people again.
| Africa to Asia The Black Foundation of the Middle East, India, the Orient and the Pacific Islands |
Buddha statue in Thailand
Ancient Xi Pyramids of China
Orang Asli people of Malaysia
Other than genetics, there are few commonalities among
Africans and African Americans. Yet, with so many Africans
migrating to the United States each year (about 50,000 legally
since 1990), it would seem like the perfect opportunity for a cultural
exchange. One concern of African Americans, which is rarely fully
addressed, is why and how they were sold into slavery.
The system of slavery is ageless, practiced by most every
culture and race. The majority of sub-Saharan, African societies
have been trading natural and human resources to Arabs, Asians,
and to their own countrymen since before the 700’s (Trade with
Europeans did not occur until the mid 1400’s). The inter-African
regional structure of slavery existed to serve many purposes.
Within Africa’s communal kinship societies, which consisted of
extended family members, land was basically plentiful and
distributed to each family based on need (the amount of laborers
they could afford). If a family needed to increase their number of
workers, they could buy slaves. First, it must be understood that
Africans did not sell members of their own families or of their
townships into slavery. Slaves in Africa, and, ultimately those
beyond the boarders, were the prisoners of war, the law breakers,
and those condemned to death. Many individuals and in some
cases, full tribes, became enslaved from wars waged between rival
nation-states. Many of these captives were later used in raids
conducted by Arabs and Europeans to round up additional slaves,
which would often give those slaves an opportunity to retaliate
against the opposing tribal nation that had initially placed them in
bondage.
A slave was not born into slavery. Slaves could drop the status
of captive and become recognized as a member of the household
and, in some cases, the kinship. Royal families would often appoint
their slaves to state office. Some rulers married their slaves,
allowed them to own land, and even acquire slaves of their own. If a
person was unable to support themselves or their families, they
could sell themselves into slavery. People could ultimately be
sentenced to slavery or death for illegal acts.
The fact that slavery was a long tradition in Africa leaves some
blacks with a bitter feeling of detachment. Did these foreparents
unwittingly condemn their people? It has been said that the rulers
were not aware of the harshness that would befall their race
because slavery among Africans was of a generally humane
nature. Some individuals, black and white, consider African
Americans fortunate to have been displaced to America as
apposed to remaining in Africa where today in some regions, life is
far less advantageous. Indeed, parts of Africa suffer greatly, but
how different would conditions be without Arabia and Europe’s
early exploration, extraction, and colonization of its natural
resources and people? Blacks and whites both share a heritage of
being placed in bondage by their own race. Whites were in fact the
original slaves of the plantation system throughout the world. This
does not excuse; however, the harsh enslavement of African
Americans or of any other group of people.
This is the first part of a series called “Africa to the Americas”. It
will explore and connect the various pre-historic, ancient,
medieval, and modern cultures of the African peoples to their
trans-Saharan, trans-Asian, and trans-Atlantic descendants. This
series is intended to help shed the profoundly limited perception
of Africa and her people.
Africans and African Americans. Yet, with so many Africans
migrating to the United States each year (about 50,000 legally
since 1990), it would seem like the perfect opportunity for a cultural
exchange. One concern of African Americans, which is rarely fully
addressed, is why and how they were sold into slavery.
The system of slavery is ageless, practiced by most every
culture and race. The majority of sub-Saharan, African societies
have been trading natural and human resources to Arabs, Asians,
and to their own countrymen since before the 700’s (Trade with
Europeans did not occur until the mid 1400’s). The inter-African
regional structure of slavery existed to serve many purposes.
Within Africa’s communal kinship societies, which consisted of
extended family members, land was basically plentiful and
distributed to each family based on need (the amount of laborers
they could afford). If a family needed to increase their number of
workers, they could buy slaves. First, it must be understood that
Africans did not sell members of their own families or of their
townships into slavery. Slaves in Africa, and, ultimately those
beyond the boarders, were the prisoners of war, the law breakers,
and those condemned to death. Many individuals and in some
cases, full tribes, became enslaved from wars waged between rival
nation-states. Many of these captives were later used in raids
conducted by Arabs and Europeans to round up additional slaves,
which would often give those slaves an opportunity to retaliate
against the opposing tribal nation that had initially placed them in
bondage.
A slave was not born into slavery. Slaves could drop the status
of captive and become recognized as a member of the household
and, in some cases, the kinship. Royal families would often appoint
their slaves to state office. Some rulers married their slaves,
allowed them to own land, and even acquire slaves of their own. If a
person was unable to support themselves or their families, they
could sell themselves into slavery. People could ultimately be
sentenced to slavery or death for illegal acts.
The fact that slavery was a long tradition in Africa leaves some
blacks with a bitter feeling of detachment. Did these foreparents
unwittingly condemn their people? It has been said that the rulers
were not aware of the harshness that would befall their race
because slavery among Africans was of a generally humane
nature. Some individuals, black and white, consider African
Americans fortunate to have been displaced to America as
apposed to remaining in Africa where today in some regions, life is
far less advantageous. Indeed, parts of Africa suffer greatly, but
how different would conditions be without Arabia and Europe’s
early exploration, extraction, and colonization of its natural
resources and people? Blacks and whites both share a heritage of
being placed in bondage by their own race. Whites were in fact the
original slaves of the plantation system throughout the world. This
does not excuse; however, the harsh enslavement of African
Americans or of any other group of people.
This is the first part of a series called “Africa to the Americas”. It
will explore and connect the various pre-historic, ancient,
medieval, and modern cultures of the African peoples to their
trans-Saharan, trans-Asian, and trans-Atlantic descendants. This
series is intended to help shed the profoundly limited perception
of Africa and her people.
| SPRING 2007 Issue |
| What Was Slavery Like In Africa? |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
The marching band in general has its roots from the military,
known as field music. The roll of these musicians was very
important. They were responsible for the movement of the troops
on the battlefield as well as when they ate and slept. The
instruments made the signals that guided their steps. The
musicians were also used to boost morale by providing
entertainment. After the 1600’s, black freemen and slaves were
regularly used as drummers and fifers as young as ten years old,
serving in wars like the Revolutionary and Civil War.
Slaves were also the musicians at plantation parties. They
began to poke fun at the behavior of whites by dressing up in fine
hand-me-downs and prancing around in straight lines. They
would lean slightly backwards and kick their legs high, first at a
90 degree angle, then they would extend their legs outward at a
180 degree angle. This was a chance for slaves to make secret
fun of their masters. Plantation owners began holding contests to
see whose slave could dance best, and the prize was a piece of
cake. Hence the cake walk was born.
As blacks began to perform in black face with their own
minstrel companies, they included the signature cake walk
movements in their shows. Black face is makeup originally used
by whites in minstrel shows to mock slaves. By the late 1800’s to
early 1900’s the dance became a craze among whites. This was
also the period ragtime music (initially termed coon music)
emerged because it was created specifically for this
dance.
The high-stepping strut of the cake walk would later become
a style used by marching bands beginning in Louisiana in the
1920’s, which is when the popularity of the dance and minstrels
faded out. The style is still used by most African American high
school, college, and university bands. The Tiger Marching Band
of Grambling State University in Louisiana with the title “best
band in the land” was established in 1926. They performed in the
Obama Inauguration Parade, playing “Let’s Grove” by Earth
Wind and Fire. The band was among the 1300 that applied,
which resulted in only 94 bands actually marching in the parade.
known as field music. The roll of these musicians was very
important. They were responsible for the movement of the troops
on the battlefield as well as when they ate and slept. The
instruments made the signals that guided their steps. The
musicians were also used to boost morale by providing
entertainment. After the 1600’s, black freemen and slaves were
regularly used as drummers and fifers as young as ten years old,
serving in wars like the Revolutionary and Civil War.
Slaves were also the musicians at plantation parties. They
began to poke fun at the behavior of whites by dressing up in fine
hand-me-downs and prancing around in straight lines. They
would lean slightly backwards and kick their legs high, first at a
90 degree angle, then they would extend their legs outward at a
180 degree angle. This was a chance for slaves to make secret
fun of their masters. Plantation owners began holding contests to
see whose slave could dance best, and the prize was a piece of
cake. Hence the cake walk was born.
As blacks began to perform in black face with their own
minstrel companies, they included the signature cake walk
movements in their shows. Black face is makeup originally used
by whites in minstrel shows to mock slaves. By the late 1800’s to
early 1900’s the dance became a craze among whites. This was
also the period ragtime music (initially termed coon music)
emerged because it was created specifically for this
dance.
The high-stepping strut of the cake walk would later become
a style used by marching bands beginning in Louisiana in the
1920’s, which is when the popularity of the dance and minstrels
faded out. The style is still used by most African American high
school, college, and university bands. The Tiger Marching Band
of Grambling State University in Louisiana with the title “best
band in the land” was established in 1926. They performed in the
Obama Inauguration Parade, playing “Let’s Grove” by Earth
Wind and Fire. The band was among the 1300 that applied,
which resulted in only 94 bands actually marching in the parade.
| The Slave Foundation of Black Marching Bands |
| WINTER 2009 Issue |
History Club
By Wasumbi Uso
By Wasumbi Uso
| From the Youth Magazine Division |
Standing in these hollowed chambers makes one feel
strangely connected to the African souls who were crammed
together, waiting to be auctioned into slavery so many years
ago. As the slaves embarked from ships like the Endeavor and
the Maryborow they were taken to the holding cells at Factor’s
Walk on Bay Street. In 1747 the Endeavor was one of several
slave vessels built by the merchant firm of James Habersham
and Francis Harris of Savannah. The English schooner, the
Maryborow, made the first direct shipment of West Africans
from Senegal to Savannah in 1766. They were dispatched to
the mercantile firm of Broughton and Smith in Savannah.
This particular area is located directly to the right of City Hall
facing and leading down towards River Street. Several iron
crosswalks connect Bay Street with multi-story buildings that
face River Street. The narrow, steep, winding stairways from
Bay Street lead to Factor’s Walk. This is where Georgia's
foreign trade began and Savannah's mercantile prospered,
which was all based on “king cotton”. Everything from buying
and selling to packaging and shipping took place here.
As we remember the past we should not forget what it stood
for. Tourists from all over the world visit Savannah each year to
photograph monumental places like the Cotton Exchange on
Bay Street. We hope that as they discover the places and
events that occurred they also recognize the human sacrifice
involved.
Today, these holding cells are utilized as mere parking
spaces. This hardly seems like adequate usage considering
their original purpose.
strangely connected to the African souls who were crammed
together, waiting to be auctioned into slavery so many years
ago. As the slaves embarked from ships like the Endeavor and
the Maryborow they were taken to the holding cells at Factor’s
Walk on Bay Street. In 1747 the Endeavor was one of several
slave vessels built by the merchant firm of James Habersham
and Francis Harris of Savannah. The English schooner, the
Maryborow, made the first direct shipment of West Africans
from Senegal to Savannah in 1766. They were dispatched to
the mercantile firm of Broughton and Smith in Savannah.
This particular area is located directly to the right of City Hall
facing and leading down towards River Street. Several iron
crosswalks connect Bay Street with multi-story buildings that
face River Street. The narrow, steep, winding stairways from
Bay Street lead to Factor’s Walk. This is where Georgia's
foreign trade began and Savannah's mercantile prospered,
which was all based on “king cotton”. Everything from buying
and selling to packaging and shipping took place here.
As we remember the past we should not forget what it stood
for. Tourists from all over the world visit Savannah each year to
photograph monumental places like the Cotton Exchange on
Bay Street. We hope that as they discover the places and
events that occurred they also recognize the human sacrifice
involved.
Today, these holding cells are utilized as mere parking
spaces. This hardly seems like adequate usage considering
their original purpose.
| WINTER 2008 Issue |
DOWN HOME DESTINIATIONS
| Factor's Walk in Savannah Slave Holding Cells |
| June 2010 Tour Guide Issue |
| Jenkins High School Band at the MLK Parade |
The Cake Walk
There are a few sanctuaries claiming to be the first African
American Baptist church in North America, and they’re each
linked to one place. In 1774 a little church on a plantation off the
Savannah River in South Carolina was faithfully attended by the
slaves of George Galphin. He was a rich planter who had gone
against tradition by marrying Native American and African
women, and by allowing his slaves to openly practice religion. It
was called the Silver Bluff Baptist Church.
BLACKS & THE BAPTIST FAITH
The Negro Baptist faith began in the South through the great
efforts of Anglo-American preachers like Wait Palmer who
traveled throughout the U.S. colonies spreading the gospel to
every demographic with intense emotion. African American
preachers were also highly instrumental in spreading this type of
gospel. The faith automatically attracted blacks because it
complimented their more heart-felt, expressive, original styles of
African worship.
At the start of the Revolutionary War, George Galphin abandoned
his plantation. Several slaves crossed the river fleeing 14 miles to
British-held Savannah in 1778. Though they were forced to leave
their beloved church behind, they would continue holding services
in Savannah. Among them were three men who were pivotal in
the expanse of the Baptist faith with blacks in America and
across the globe.
THREE TRAILBLAZING NEGRO PREACHERS
George Liele, David George, and Jesse Peter (who later took the
name of Jesse Galphin) were the first black missionaries and
founders of what had been known as the First Colored Baptist
Church and would be later known as the First African Baptist
Church, even before a white Baptist church had been formed in
Savannah. Though a large portion of the traditional Silver Bluff
congregation would go on to thrive, its original preachers would
not remain in Savannah. After the war in 1783 George Liele and
David George were very similar in that they were licensed
preachers, freemen, and literate. They also both fought for the
British during the Siege of Savannah and lead a maroon colony
on Tybee Island before leaving America entirely.
George Liele emigrated to Jamaica, and David George to
Canada. Jesse Peter returned briefly to South Carolina then
moved to Augusta. The person who would take over leadership of
the church was Andrew Bryan who had been baptized by George
Liele.
Liele opened the first Baptist church and school for blacks in the
town of Kingston, Jamaica. He was persistent in his struggles
and demands for liberty of the island’s people. George Liele died
ten years before the end of Jamaican slavery in 1838.
David George and hundreds of blacks throughout America
settled on land he bought near Shelburne, Nova Scotia called
Birchtown, one of the first black settlements in Canada. George
and many of the other black pioneers were run off their original
land in Shelburne by local soldiers. The soldiers had been forced
to compete for labor positions with the freemen, which created
volatile consequences. To make things worse, David George had
opened a new dynamic church, inspiring even whites to join.
When he baptized one of his white members, coupled with the
existing tension, the first full fledge race riot in Canada ensued.
Their settlements were completely destroyed. Before eventually
leaving Canada, David George founded both the First Black
Baptist Church in Shelburne and the Second Black Baptist
Church in Nova Scotia. George, his family, and about 1,000
others relocated to the British colony of Freetown, Sierra Leone
in 1792.
In Augusta, Jesse Peter formed a congregation from some of the
members of the original Silver Bluff Church in South Carolina. It
was called the First African Baptist Church of Augusta and later
the Springfield Baptist Church. Springfield Baptist established
the Augusta Baptist Institution, which moved to Atlanta and
became Morehouse College.
In Augusta, Jesse Peter formed a congregation from some of
the members of the original Silver Bluff Church in South
Carolina. It was called the First African Baptist Church of
Augusta and later the Springfield Baptist Church. Springfield
Baptist established the Augusta Baptist Institution, which
moved to Atlanta and became Morehouse College.
ANDREW BRYAN'S LEGACY
When Andrew Bryan took charge of the Savannah
congregation, he held services in a barn on his master’s
plantation. After becoming ordained and buying his freedom, he
built a church in present-day Yamacraw Village in 1794, which
was named Bryan Street African Baptist Church. Rev. Bryan
suffered much persecution at the hands of those who did not
believe in a church for blacks. Once the church was sanctioned
by local officials, the congregation was allowed to meet on
Sundays with a ticket granted by their masters or mistresses.
After Bryan’s death in 1812 his nephew, Andrew C. Marshall,
became pastor. In 1832 the church split over doctrinal matters.
Some remained in Yamacraw changing the name to the Third
African Baptist Church and eventually First Bryan Baptist. The
church which would later hold the meeting for the negotiation
and announcement of the field order # 15 for 40 acres and a
mule after emancipation, was the Second African Baptist
Church in Savannah located at 123 Houston Street. This was
one of various extensions of the original Silver Bluff
congregation. The vast majority of the Yamacraw Village
congregation (well over 2,000) went with Andrew Marshall to the
location in Franklin Square where the First African Baptist
Church is today. The current First Bryan Baptist Church building
in Yamacraw was erected in 1873.
WHO WAS FIRST?
First African and First Bryan have long maintained that each is
the first. First Bryan has the earliest location, and First African
has the earliest name. However, they both emerged from the
same congregation. Springfield Baptist Church evolved from
the later re-establishment of the original Silver Bluff Church in
South Carolina.
As the three churches each have strong reasons for asserting
their claims of the oldest black Baptist church in North America,
one thing is clear and irrefutable. The place from which each
church’s members come is the original Silver Bluff Baptist
Church established in 1774-1778.
There is but another church standing by the claim of being the
first. It is the First African Baptist Church in Petersburg,
Virginia. Virginia is also the state where both George Liele and
David George had been born slaves and where Liele was first
introduced to the Baptist faith before going to Silver Bluff.
the members of the original Silver Bluff Church in South
Carolina. It was called the First African Baptist Church of
Augusta and later the Springfield Baptist Church. Springfield
Baptist established the Augusta Baptist Institution, which
moved to Atlanta and became Morehouse College.
ANDREW BRYAN'S LEGACY
When Andrew Bryan took charge of the Savannah
congregation, he held services in a barn on his master’s
plantation. After becoming ordained and buying his freedom, he
built a church in present-day Yamacraw Village in 1794, which
was named Bryan Street African Baptist Church. Rev. Bryan
suffered much persecution at the hands of those who did not
believe in a church for blacks. Once the church was sanctioned
by local officials, the congregation was allowed to meet on
Sundays with a ticket granted by their masters or mistresses.
After Bryan’s death in 1812 his nephew, Andrew C. Marshall,
became pastor. In 1832 the church split over doctrinal matters.
Some remained in Yamacraw changing the name to the Third
African Baptist Church and eventually First Bryan Baptist. The
church which would later hold the meeting for the negotiation
and announcement of the field order # 15 for 40 acres and a
mule after emancipation, was the Second African Baptist
Church in Savannah located at 123 Houston Street. This was
one of various extensions of the original Silver Bluff
congregation. The vast majority of the Yamacraw Village
congregation (well over 2,000) went with Andrew Marshall to the
location in Franklin Square where the First African Baptist
Church is today. The current First Bryan Baptist Church building
in Yamacraw was erected in 1873.
WHO WAS FIRST?
First African and First Bryan have long maintained that each is
the first. First Bryan has the earliest location, and First African
has the earliest name. However, they both emerged from the
same congregation. Springfield Baptist Church evolved from
the later re-establishment of the original Silver Bluff Church in
South Carolina.
As the three churches each have strong reasons for asserting
their claims of the oldest black Baptist church in North America,
one thing is clear and irrefutable. The place from which each
church’s members come is the original Silver Bluff Baptist
Church established in 1774-1778.
There is but another church standing by the claim of being the
first. It is the First African Baptist Church in Petersburg,
Virginia. Virginia is also the state where both George Liele and
David George had been born slaves and where Liele was first
introduced to the Baptist faith before going to Silver Bluff.
| FALL 2009 Issue |
| What is the First African Baptist Church in North America? |
| Silver Bluff Baptist Church |
by Naomi Nyatuame
"The Color Quiz"
The Big Truth
Most people recognize the major significance of
surviving slavery and overcoming discrimination. Yet,
what is often, strangely ignored are damaging deep-
rooted effects from this unnatural existence. There is
no standard assessment with the color quiz. Let
yourself and The Creator judge the outcome:
1. Do you see your complexion as a gift or a curse
from God?
2. Do you feel socially liberated or limited by your
complexion?
3. Do you consider skin tone a determining factor of
beauty and intelligence?
4. Do you prefer to breed only with those of a specific
skin tone?
Before we can become truly spiritually, mentally
whole, we must first purge any and all negative,
destructive thoughts and learn to see ourselves and
others through God’s perfect eyes.
surviving slavery and overcoming discrimination. Yet,
what is often, strangely ignored are damaging deep-
rooted effects from this unnatural existence. There is
no standard assessment with the color quiz. Let
yourself and The Creator judge the outcome:
1. Do you see your complexion as a gift or a curse
from God?
2. Do you feel socially liberated or limited by your
complexion?
3. Do you consider skin tone a determining factor of
beauty and intelligence?
4. Do you prefer to breed only with those of a specific
skin tone?
Before we can become truly spiritually, mentally
whole, we must first purge any and all negative,
destructive thoughts and learn to see ourselves and
others through God’s perfect eyes.
| FALL 2007 Issue |