FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM NATIONAL HERO · 1513 Earliest African immigrants were with Balboa DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ( 1929 - 1968), delivered who discovered the Pacific Ocean. the I HAVE A DREAM speech on racial equality. · 1518 The first cargo of slaves arrived in the West Indies. · Organized boycott, which ended segregation on city · 1600 through 1850 slaves played an important role in buses in Montgomery, AL in 1955 · Help create the Southern Christian Leadership the New World Conference movement · Slave trade overshadowed the number of Africans who • 1964 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize came to America free. · 1619 blacks arrive in Jamestown. · Free immigrants, about 50,000, settled in the British ANCIENT HISTORY and French West Indies. · 1777 Vermont became the first American colony to The oldest known human settlements have been found in abolish slavery. Africa. · 1865 13th amendment abolished slavery. · 500,000 B.C. Africans had discovered fire and learned to make flint weapons CLIMATE · 6000 B.C. an Egyptian fisherman made a net, the world PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS • Predominantly tropical oldest known woven textile OF AFRICA · Subtropical and temperate only in extreme north and · 960 B.C. Queen Sheba began her reign south, high altitudes and coastal lowlands · 1 A.D. An Iron-age settlement existed in Zimbabwe THE LAND · Absence of long, high mountain ranges permits tropical · 200 B.C. Egypt become Roman province air flow · A massive platform of minerals, Africa is rich in copper, · 300 A.D. Coast-to-coast African trade and trade with · Average rainfall more than 80”; in deserts, less than 6” zinc, lead, gold, uranium, diamonds and many rare most parts of the world even before the Christian era · Main factor effecting soil, vegetation and population metals. · The second largest continent; home of 12% of world LANGUAGE AND CULTURE population RELIGIOUS BELIEFS · 53 independent countries, several other homelands, AFRICAN LANGUAGES enclaves and dependencies. · African immigrants borrowed and modified religious · Separated from Asia by Suez Canal, Gulf of Suez and · More than 1000 languages are spoken in Africa, apart rituals from various European Christian churches. from Arabic, which is not confined to Africa the Red Sea; from Europe by Straits of Gibraltar, · Religious affiliation is no longer restricted by race or Mediterranean Sea · Swahili and Hausa the most wildly spoken tongue color. · Swahili and Hausa has more than 10 million speakers · Many off shore islands · A number of Christian groups such as the Seventh-day · Hamito-Semilic (or Afro-Asiatic), Nilo-Saharan, Adventists, Pentecostals, and Churches of God are Khoisan, and Niger-Kordofanian are the four language BORDERED BY predominantly black. families · Bounded by Atlantic Ocean on the west, Indian Ocean · Religious sects of African origin such as the voodoo in · Some African linguistic have a history of 5000 years or on the east Haiti. more Africa has many natural features that have influenced · Shango in Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Brazil; its history and development: Santeria in Cuba and Puerto Rico; Kumina, Myal, CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS Revivalist, and Ras Tafari in Jamaica. · Northern coastal area separated from the rest of the · Trace ancestry to the Negroid race in Africa · Umbanda Macounda and others in Brazil are no longer continent by the large Sahara desert · Distinctive features in music, art, literature, speech and only black. · Coastlines remarkably straight; few bays religion · Great Rift Valley, a giant trough, cuts through the · “Black Pride” chief characteristic of focus in the 1970s- continent northeasterly for 5,500 miles 80s · Disease-breeding tropical climates prevented travel HOLIDAYS • Rich spicy foods traditional (Afrocentric) clothing; and trade until days of modern medicine bright colors and bold patterns • 3rd Monday in January - Martin Luther King Celebration • February - Black History Month • December 26 - 31 KWANZAA A BRIEF HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN NAMES IN AFRICANS IN AMERICA AMERICAN SOCIETY · Rosa Parks, started the Montgomery Bus boycott · African immigration may have begun before European · Jackie Robinson, broke color barrier in major league Getting to know your... exploration of the region. baseball · 1442 Blacks sailed with Christopher Columbus on his · Benjamin Banneker, published the first scientific first voyage materials written by an African American · 1502 Spain shipped out hundreds of Spanish-born · Ida B. Wells, journalist Africans, called Latinos, to work as laborers, in gold · Ralph Bunche, diplomat mines · Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, merchant · 1518 King Charles I of Spain sanctioned the direct · Mary Mcleod Bethune, educator African- transport of slaves from Africa to the American colonies · Henry O. Tanner, artist · 1530 the Portuguese used African slaves in Brazil · Jesse Owens, Olympic athlete · 1780s slavery was being attacked by evangelist, on the · Scott Joplin, composer American grounds of Christian charity · John Johnson, founder of Johnson Publishing Company · 1823, formation of the British Anti-Slavery Society · Naomi Sims, successful model and business executive · at least 10 million Africans were forcibly brought to the · Madame C. J. Walker, inventor of hair care products Neighbors Americas and founder of beauty business · about 47% of them to the Caribbean islands and the · Oprah Winfrey, talk show host, owner of TV and film Guineas production company · 38% Brazil and 6% to mainland Spanish America · Colin Powell, United States Secretary of State · 4.5% to North America and Europe · Maya Angelou, writer poet · The greatest proportion worked on plantation producing · James Balwin, writer sugar, cotton, coffee, rice and tobacco · Alex Haley, author and lecturer · 1840s black abolitionists developed strategies for · Nikki Giovanni, poet, professor, publisher abolishing slavery through the underground railroad · Muhammad Ali, boxer · 1900 Black migration to the North and West, although · Wilma Rudolph, track and field athlete most blacks were concentrated in the South · Althea Gibson, tennis player · One quarter of all blacks in America now live in urban areas FAMOUS AFRICANS · Nelson Mandela (1918- ) First Black president of South Africa · Ali of Songha (died 1492) Empire of west Africa FAMOUS AFRICANS · Desmond TUTU (1931- ) South Africa Civil Rights Activist Noble Peace Prize 1984. AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO CIVILIZATION · Dr. Charles Drew (1905 - 1950), established the America Ethnic Issues Advisory Committee Red Cross blood bank Sharron D. Allen, Chair · George Washington Carver (1861 -1943), educator, William Dechavez City Council Harold Dallou botanist and chemist Mayor Richard J. Notte Toni E. Dutchik · Frederick Douglas (1817-1895), American abolitionist Mayor Pro-Tem Kathryn George Charles Franz · Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), Moses of her people Councilman Richard L. Bracci Stojadin B. Naumovski Councilwoman Deanna Koski Betty Rush · Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), educator Councilman Steve Rice Iqbal Singh Councilman Joseph V. Romano City Liaison: Pat Lehman Sterling Heights Ethnic Advisory Committee Chair Councilwoman Barbara A. Ziarko Police Dept. Liaison: Sgt. Al Gross Sharron D. Allen and her husband Carlton M. are proud City Manager Information: (586) 446-CITY to teach their children Sharron E. and Carlton M. about Steve M. Duchane © 07/02 Copy by Permission their African-American heritage..