Before slave trade was abolished in USA, slaves on plantation farms in Texas would receive 150 lashes for offence of dancing without a permit
Hall kept a white overseer and a Black driver beneath him. The driver was an enslaved man given authority to push other enslaved people harder, a position that sat at one of the cruellest intersections slavery could produce.
Solid gold-2: How slavery created a system of whips, forced labour, destruction of families, denial of parenthood and love as a secret to hide, code and deny
Samuel continued his work as a blacksmith. He was essential to the plantation now. His skills had expanded beyond horseshoes and hinges. He repaired the cotton gin when it broke down. He built a new irrigation system for the rice fields. He designed tools that made the work more efficient.
Elellanena paid him nothing for this. Of course, slaves could not be paid, but she found ways to improve his conditions: better food, a larger cabin, medical care when he was injured.
Just because I’m Black: Long before Venus and Serena Williams two Black sisters won 14 US national tennis titles but were never paid a cent
Tennis in the 1940s was strictly amateur. The Peters sisters received no prize money, no sponsorships, no compensation of any kind. They paid for their own rackets, their own travel, their own entry fees. They funded a career of national championships by working as schoolteachers.
Solid gold: How white, aristocratic women fought off social norms and law on cotton plantations in USA for romance with Black slaves
Neighbours tried to pressure her into selling. Men she barely knew proposed marriage with transparent motives. Elellanena refused everyone and everything. She hired a new overseer named Thomas Garrett, a man who came recommended by a Quaker family she had met in Philadelphia years earlier. Garrett was unusual for a southern overseer. He did not use the whip.
Scars of slavery-2: Why Slave Master began to drink heavily, haunted by memory of the crippled daughter he had rejected and lost
We buried Violeta on a small hill overlooking the valley where we had been happy. There was no priest, no elaborate ceremony, just me, my new-born son, and the promise that her memory would be honoured. When we arrived at the farm the next day, Colonel Ferreira was waiting for us at the gate. His face showed a mixture of relief and fury.
Seven children-4: Slavery story isn’t about the past, it’s about how the past lives in the present and continue shaping lives today
The story of Samuel and the seven Thornton children forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about how power determines not just who can speak, but what can be officially known.
Celebrated African novelist Wole Soyinka, from Nigeria, reveals his US visa has been revoked by Trump regime
Soyinka, who has taught in the US and previously held a green card, joked on Tuesday that his green card “had an accident” eight years ago and “fell between a pair of scissors.” In 2017, he destroyed his green card in protest of President Trump’s first inauguration.
East Africa’s most famous indigenous tribe, Maasai, set for third edition of its cultural festival in November
The much-anticipated third edition of the Maa Cultural Festival is set to take place this November, bringing together communities from across the Maa-speaking counties to celebrate their rich cultural heritage. Maasai is one of the most recognisable indigenous ethnic groups in Africa that live astride Kenya and Tanzania. The annual...
Michelle Obama: I skipped Trump inauguration out of self-respect – a revolution all its own
By breaking her silence, Michelle Obama didn’t just clear the air – she modelled the kind of intentional living that transcends politics. Her decision to skip Trump’s second inauguration was personal, powerful and full of purpose.
Shirika plan: Kenya’s refugee integration programme in limbo as aid agencies cut back funding
Kakuma is semi-desert – harsh, blinding, unforgiving. Life for a refugee business person here is stitched together from fragments: a little aid relief, a modest turnover and, if you’re lucky, an occasional offer of credit from an NGO lending service.
