Africans

"Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten."

"The Ibo people have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. Okonkwo said yes very strongly, so his chi agreed. And not only his chi but his clan too, because it judged a man by the work of his hands."

"The Eboes, tho' not generally a robust, are a well-formed people, of the middle stature: many of their women are of remarkably symmetrical shape, and would be deemed beautiful. This race is, as has been already remarked, of a more mild and engaging disposition than the other tribes, particularly the Quaws, and though less suited for the severe manual labour of the field, they are preferred in the West India colonies for their fidelity and utility, as domestic servants, particularly if taken there when young, as they then become the most industrious of any of the tribes taken to the colonies. Their skin is generally of a yellowish tinge, but varying to a jet black."

"Immense ankle plates are a main part of female costume in the Ibo country. Many of them are made in Birmingham and afterwards decorated with incised designs by native smiths. The women wear them permanently, stuffing rags between the skin and the metal to prevent chafing, and walking with a curious swing of the leg to avoid rubbing the plates together."

"Abortion was an expedient way to frame their campaign to create monopolies on women’s bodies for male doctors. The American Medical Association explicitly contributed to this cause through its exclusion of women and Black people. Today, as people debate whether anti-abortion platforms benefit Black women, the clear answer is no. The U.S. leads the developed world in maternal and infant mortality. The U.S. ranks around 50th in the world for maternal safety. Nationally, for Black women, the maternal death rate is nearly four times that of white women, and 10 to 17 times worse in some states."

"For Black women as well as Black men, it is axiomatic that if we do not define ourselves for ourselves, we will be defined by others — for their use and to our detriment. The development of self-defined Black women, ready to explore and pursue our power and interests within our communities, is a vital component in the war for Black liberation."

"As Black women we have the right and responsibility to define ourselves and to seek our allies in common cause: with Black men against racism, and with each other and white women against sexism. But most of all, as Black women we have the right and responsibility to recognize each other without fear and to love where we choose. Both lesbian and heterosexual Black women today share a history of bonding and strength to which our sexual identities and our other differences must not blind us."

"In this country, Black women traditionally have had compassion for everybody else except ourselves. We have cared for whites because we had to for pay or survival; we have cared for our children and our fathers and our brothers and our lovers. History and popular culture, as well as our personal lives, are full of tales of Black women who had “compassion for misguided black men.” Our scarred, broken, battered and dead daughters and sisters are a mute testament to that reality. We need to learn to have care and compassion for ourselves, also."

"When patriarchy dismisses us, it encourages our murderers. When feminist theory dismisses us, it encourages its own demise."

"Black women and our children know the fabric of our lives is stitched with violence and with hatred, that there is no rest. We do not deal with it only on the picket lines, or in dark midnight alleys, or in the places where we dare to verbalize our resistance. For us, increasingly, violence weaves through the daily tissues of our living — in the supermarket, in the classroom, in the elevator, in the clinic and the schoolyard, from the plumber, the baker, the saleswoman, the bus driver, the bank teller, the waitress who does not serve us."

"The threat of difference has been no less blinding to people of Color. Those of us who are Black must see that the reality of our lives and our struggle does not make us immune to the errors of ignoring and misnaming difference. Within Black communities where racism is a living reality, differences among us often seem dangerous and suspect. The need for unity is often misnamed as a need for homogeneity, and a Black feminist vision mistaken for betrayal of our common interests as a people. Because of the continuous battle against racial erasure that Black women and Black men share, some Black women still refuse to recognize that we are also oppressed as women, and that sexual hostility against Black women is practiced not only by the white racist society, but implemented within our Black communities as well. It is a disease striking the heart of Black nationhood, and silence will not make it disappear. Exacerbated by racism and the pressures of powerlessness, violence against Black women and children often becomes a standard within our communities, one by which manliness can be measured. But these woman-hating acts are rarely discussed as crimes against Black women."

"We have to consciously study how to be tender with each other until it becomes a habit because what was native has been stolen from us, the love of Black women for each other."

"It is clear to see how deeply abortion bans are rooted in white supremacy and patriarchal strongholds when we look at the history of Black women in this country. The tradition of disregarding the humanity of Black people is part of more than 400 years of white supremacist systems in America. Although abortion was legal throughout the country until after the Civil War, there were different rules for enslaved Black women than for white women. Enslaved Black women were valuable property. They didn’t have the freedom to control their bodies, and slave owners prohibited them from having abortions. Under the law, white men owned Black women’s bodies. So, enslaved women who had access to emmenagogic herbs — plants used to stimulate menstruation — had to make remedies to induce their own abortions in secret. When slavery was abolished in 1865, the societal control over Black women’s bodies remained. Today, our white supremacist culture judges Black women for both having children and for having abortions — besetting them with blame for virtually any decision they make and any form of agency they take about their bodies."

", black in color... of his own free will, became a Christian in Lisbon, was in Castile for seven years, and crossed to Santo Domingo [for seven years]... From there he visited other islands then went to San Juan de Puerto Rico... [for] much time, [then]...came to . He was present at the taking of this city of Mexico and... other conquests, and later to the island with the marquis. He was the first to plant and harvest wheat in this land... and brought many vegetable seeds to New Spain."

"San Hipólito... one of the most interesting churches in the city. ...1520 ...the greatest slaughter of the Spaniards during the retreat of the memorable Noche Triste ...After the final conquest of the city, one of the survivors of that dismal night, , having freshly in mind its bloody horrors, built of adobe at this place a little commemorative chapel."

"They lived in a world where skin colour was less important than religion, class or talent: before the English became heavily involved in the slave trade, and before they founded their first surviving colony in the Americas. ...Their stories challenge the traditional narrative that racial slavery was inevitable and that it was imported to colonial Virginia from Tudor England. They force us to re-examine the 17th century to find out what had caused perceptions to change so radically."

"(ca. 1505-1553) was probably born in and sold by slavers to Portuguese traders, who... sold him to... . ...[H]e was baptized ...and around 1530 ...arrived ...in Puebla, ...[as] a domestic servant. By 1533 he ...convinced ...Valiente to allow him to become a ...[H]e would ...record ...his earnings ...to return them to his owner. He went to Guatemala and joined 's expedition to Peru... [which was bought out by] ... By 1535 he was in Chile fighting the Araucanians with Almagro, became a captain by 1540, and was rewarded with an near Santiago in 1546 and an in 1550. ...[H]e was killed by Araucanian Indians at the battle of Tucapel in 1553."

"Only rarely do we hear about a Negro slave who achieved distinction... Two examples... are , the conquistador of Chile, and Yanga, the famed Maroom leader in Veracruz."

"Although most blacks who came to America in early years were slaves, records of the Casa de Contractión showed that a good many freed black freedmen from and elsewhere found passage on westward-bound ships. Some... settled in the ... others... to Mexico and Peru, identifying... as Catholic subjects of a Spanish king, with much the same privileges and ambitions as white Spaniards. "Benito el Negro" and "Juan el Negro" (...[i.e.,] Juan de Villanueva) were encomenderos in the province of Pánuco and thus... should not have been slaves..."

"[T]here is a record of an African who apparently crossed the Atlantic as a freeman, participated in the siege of Tenochtitlon and, in subsequent conquests and explorations, ...[was] an entrepreneur (with... Negro and Indian slaves...) in the ...search for gold, and... [was] a citizen in the Spanish quarter of Mexico city. His name... Juan Garrido..."

"The Diccionario Porrúa, perhaps relying on... Bernal Díaz, says that he arrived with Juan Núñez Sedeño, who accompanied Cortés' 1519 expedition in his... ship... that included "un negro"; has him crossing... with the army of . Magnus Mörner... claiming ... "many" hispanicized and Spanish-speaking blacks took part in the conquest... without details..."

"His name appears... in the proceedings of 's cabildo... 1524 when that body granted... land... "...just past the chapel of Juan Garrido." identifies this as the church subsequently rebuilt... occupying the site where... Cortés' men died as they fled from on the Noche Triste."

"Garrido took part in at least one of expeditions sent out by Cortés after the conquest of the Triple Alliance to secure control and investigate the exonomic potential of outlying areas."

"Garrido became the first wheat farmer on the American continent. ...According to ..., "...they brought [Cortés] a small amount of rice, and in it were three grains of wheat; he ordered a free Negro to plant them." ...Gil Conzáles Dávila [identified him] as "Juan Garrrido, a servant [criado] of Hernando Cortés.""

"By... 1528, he had acquired on credit... slaves and mining equipment and reported to be in... Zacatula... The gold rush was at its peak but Garrido does not seem to have enjoyed... success..."

"Cortés... heard that... [one] of his vessels had discovered an "island"... [which] was in fact... the southern tip of Southern California. ...By the time he reached Chametla... the... marquis was accompanied by a... retinue which apparently included Juan Garrido... in a privileged category... [with] his own complement of Negro and Indian slaves... Cortés... returned to Mexico... 1536, accompanied by... some of the colonists including Juan Garrido..."

"[T]he present study poses the question of whether the Negro experience of Russian society can be instructive for a better understanding of the Negro experience within the major Western societies. ...For the general subject of Negro history, the main contribution of the present study is... offering additional knowledge about a peripheral area of what has been termed the "black diaspora.""

"The term "Negro"... here denotes only people of primarily African descent. ...[T]hat would include Alexander Pushkin and... Alexandre Dumas père (who traveled extensively through Russia in 1858 and 1859 and left a detailed account). ...Pushkin's maternal great-grandfather and Dumas's paternal grandmother were Negroes; the two writers were not. Nevertheless, attitudes that Pushkin and other Russians have expressed concerning his African heritage do figure prominently in the present work."

"The question of the earliest presence on Negroes in the geographical region which became the Russian empire centers on the origins of the small scattered settlements of Negroes... until recently... along the western slope of the Caucasus mountains near the Black Sea. ...[A] persistent line of thought ...places the advent of the Negroes in the area ...perhaps even in antiquity. This... was first raised by E. Lavrov in a letter to Kavkaz in 1913. ...[H]e pointed out that this was the area the ancient Greeks called , mentioned in their poetry ...eighth century B.C. ...Herodotus (484?-425? B.C) ...described the Colchians as black-skinned with wooly hair. This led him to believe that they were of Egyptian origin, perhaps of the army of the legendary Egyptian Emperor"

"[A]n 1884 compilation of classical writings... grown out of an archeological congress... Tiflis in 1881... mentions Pindar... who refers to the Argonauts going to the river Phasis, where Aieta attacked the dark-skinned Colchians. ...[T]he compiler ...concludes that the Laz people of had formerly been called Colchians. While admitting ...gaps in the evidence, the compiler cites a number of Greek writers, including , to support this contention."

"Patrick English... marshals... data to support... the hypothesis that the Abkhazian Negroes' lineage may extend... to ancient times... He notes Herodotus'... attention... in distinguishing between Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Colchians... observing that the Colchians wove linen like the Egyptians and... no one else. ...English questions the likelihood that slaves would be imported to an area... famous for the export of slaves from its local population. ...English relies upon... the Iliad, the Bible, and... writings of the Church Fathers. He... posits a possible link between the Abkhazian Negroes and the creation of the Khazar empire."

"Lia Golden-Hanga... notes that the tsarist officials frequently listed the Negroes as Arabs and Jews."

"Slava Tynes... discusses the work of ... who believed the Colchians had "Abyssino-Egyptian" origins. ...Gulia showed the similarities between many Abkhazian and Egyptian geographical names, those of deities and families... manners and customs."

"Blacks were in Spain and Portugal in high numbers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with many assimilated into the population. The first Africans who went to the Americas were from Europe, not Africa. ...Blacks were not just subordinate, passive pawns in these developments: they participated as rulers, merchants, seamen, soldiers, and free laborers, as well as slaves."

"[I]n the twelfth-century German version of the "Song of Roland," the epic tale based on the clashes between Christian and Moslem armies in the eighth century, one of the Moslem leaders is described as... "He was black and ugly, the people [in his country] are wild, the sun never shines there, the devils feel at home there.""

"Wolfram von Eschenbach's "," which was drawn from the legend of King Arthur... in the thirteenth century and evolved for centuries om England, France, Germany and the Netherlands... repeated the theme of black skin color as fearsome, but implied that Blacks could become enobled by racial mixing with whites and through Christianization."

"Hume's and Kant's denial of any significant achievements by blacks ignored prominent nearby examples in Europe, such as Frances Williams, a Jamaican classicist who had excelled as a student at Cambridge and whose career was familiar to Hume. Among those less known were three closer to Kant's home... , who through his accomplishments in Holland had in 1742 become the first black minister of any Protestant church. ...[T]he West India Company and the Church would not condone his marrying an African woman, choosing... to provide him a Dutch bride... from Rotterdam. ... ...born on the Gold Coast, around 1700 ...The West India Company brought him to Amsterdam ...and presented him to the Duke of Wolfenbüttel. He was baptized... in 1707 ...[H]e was able to enter the Universities of Halle in 1727 and Wittenberg in 1730, where he became skilled in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, German, and Dutch and concentrated on philosophy. ...In 1734 he was awarded a doctorate... In his philosophical work he... devoted... attention to mathematical and medical knowledge in the context of Enlightenment thought. He became a lecturer at the University of Halle and later at the . ...[I]n Russia ...Peter the Great ...became the godfather of one of his black servant boys and provided him with the best possible education. ...Abraham Hannibal ...was ...sent to France for ...higher education in mathematics and military engineering. This adventure would... provide the... plot for a short story by his great-grandson, Alexander Pushkin. Hannibal... attained the rank of major general and... served as commandant of the city of Reval... [and] later direct major canal construction projects..."

"Africa and Africans have had an influence on European thought and culture far disproportionate to the size of the small black population (which... approached 150,000 in the [16th century] ... and by the 18th Century... several thousand in France, a few thousand in the Netherlands, and several hundred... through Germany, Scandinavia, and Russia."

"[P]ersons of African ancestry... achieved distinction in Moorish Iberia and later in Spain and Portugal, the European societies that first saw a large influx of blacks. Most... were mulattos... Cristóbol de Meneses, a Dominican priest; the painters and Sebastian Gomez; and Leonardo Ortiz, a lawyer. ...In 1306 an Ethiopian delegation came to Europe to seek an alliance with the "King of the Spains" against the Moslems. King Anfós IV of Aragon considered arranging a double marriage with the of Ethiopia in 1428. And the Portuguese sent Pedro de Corvilhao to Ethiopia in 1487 on a similar mission."

"[L]iving experience of blacks in Europe appeared to be marked by smooth integration into European society... The 140,000 slaves imported into Europe from Africa between 1450 and 1505 were a welcome new labor force in the wake of the Bubonic Plague. On the whole, blacks in Christian Iberia were not limited to servile roles; but... were... not influential as a group. ...Free blacks living in and Lagos in the southern edge of Portugal owned houses and worked as day laborers, midwives, bakers, and servants. Most were domestic servants, laborers (including those on ships and river craft), and petty tradesmen. Some free blacks, especially women, became innkeepers. Blacks in Spain served as stevedores, factory workers, farm laborers, footmen, coachmen, and butlers. ...A few Africans active in the Americas during the early Iberian expansion were among returnees to Portugal and Spain from America and Africa from the 16th to the 18th centuries. These included free mulatto students, clerics, free and slave household servants, sailors, and some who attained gentlemen’s status. ...[M]any black women slaves as domestics and concubines led to mulatto offspring who received favored treatment, and ...some ...attained middle-class and even aristocratic status."

"[L]ater... in the northern, central, and eastern European societies... with smaller populations... it became fashionable... to employ blacks as house servants and in ceremonial roles such as military musicians."

"Black saints were proclaimed in parts of medieval Europe when the Holy Roman Emperors, beginning with Charles IV... 1346, adopted blacks into the ... The statue of in the chapel of St. Kilian at Magdeburg and the 17th-century bust of St. Gregory the Moor at the church of St. Gereon in Cologne testify..."

"There were... protagonists of black 'race' in the conquest of America and some... stood out enough to improve their social standing and even to have left their names for posterity."

"Manumission was not rare and many achieved it, establishing themselves as colonists with typical jobs as peculiar as doorman (the most common, in addition to guarding the door, he also called the councillors to meetings), town crier, auctioneer, executioner or... bagpiper. But some preferred to take the risk and enlist in the conquering forces."

"Possibly the most famous black conquistador... he was... a slave when in 1533 he asked his master, , a landowner from Puebla (Mexico), for permission to go on a four-year journey in search of fortune with the promise of returning and paying for his freedom with the profits... The Spaniard agreed and Juan enlisted... with two hundred other Africans (most of them slaves) in the expedition [to Peru] that Hernán Cortés' former lieutenant, , was preparing... Once at his destination... there was no opportunity because Pizarro had gone ahead. paid Alvarado... in exchange for his leaving... hiring the men who wanted to stay. Juan Valiente was one of them and in 1535 he was in Chile with... [the] new leader, fighting against the Araucanians. Five years later he had managed to rise to captain and amass some capital, including an and a property on the outskirts of , as well as a wife, Juana de Valdivia, an alleged former slave of... the famous . ...[H]e died in combat, along with Valdivia himself, in the (1553)."

"[A] parallel life, enslaved by the Portuguese but converted to Christianity in Lisbon... allowed him to acquire freedom and travel to , where he embarked in 1503 for Santo Domingo as a servant under... Pedro Garrido. ...[H]e fought [for eleven years] in the conquest of Cuba and Puerto Rico, as well as participating in the discovery of Florida. In 1519 he joined Cortés' expedition to Mexico... [I]n a letter to the King he boasted of having been the one who introduced the cultivation of wheat in those parts. He later returned to military life, during Antonio de Carvajal's [[w:Nuño de Guzmán#As conqueror of western Mexico|incursion [under Guzmán's command] into]] Michoacán and Zacatula. In 1525 he was granted a property in the new Mexico City, where he worked as a doorman, town crier and guard of the Chapultepec aqueduct... three years later... leading an expedition to exploit the gold mines of Zacatula. After another break, he enlisted under Cortés when he explored Baja California; he was responsible for—and co-owner of—a battalion of black and indigenous slaves. He died in 1547, leaving behind a wife and three children."

"Juan Beltrán This mulatto became famous in the Chilean wars, where for his brave actions and his collaboration in the founding of the city of Villarrica he was entrusted with the construction and position of captain of a fort on the outskirts, in addition to... a commission of half a thousand Indians. Beltrán led several victorious malocas (...raids in the language of overseas soldiers), but... died fighting against the indomitable Araucanians."

"Juan García Another mulatto... born free in around 1495. He was part of Pizarro's expedition to Peru, travelling with his wife and daughters. He was a town crier and bagpiper, his main mission being to weigh the precious metals collected in for the ransom of . He was also present at the successive distributions of gold and silver among the troops. ...[W]ith his earnings he bought an indigenous slave from another soldier and with her he had an illegitimate daughter. He lived in Cuzco, where he [participated] in its urban reform... then moved to with the idea of ​​returning to Spain. He did so in 1536, triumphantly, settling in the area where he was born and adopting the name of Juan García Pizarro."

"Other black conquerors The list of black conquerors in America is... [e]ndless... except that we lack sufficient data about their lives. ...Juan Bardales, an African slave ...participated in the expeditions to Panama and Honduras (where he said he received a hundred arrow wounds), obtaining his manumission and a pension of fifty pesos granted by the King. ...Sebastián Toral ... for his work in the exploration of Yucatán achieved freedom, tax exemption and... [a] royal pension, working as a porter. ...Antonio Pérez ...was free and participated with in the conquest of , where he rose to captain. ...Miguel Ruiz ...was with Pizarro in and obtained his share of the loot. ...Gómez de León ...received an in Chile."

"[T]housands of people of colour... were omitted by the chroniclers (although Cieza de León usually mentions them generically), such as the two hundred who helped put out the fire in Cuzco during the siege of Manco Inca in 1536 or the similar number sent from as armed reinforcements; or those who collaborated in the conquest of New Granada, of whom only the identity of a mulatto called Pedro de Lerma has been revealed."

"Scores of black men and women set up home in England as early as the 16th century—many arriving from Iberia, as the Spanish and Portuguese laid claim to swathes of Africa."

"... in the Westminster Roll of 1511, sound[s] his trumpet at the festivities marking the birth of a... son to Henry VIII and... Catherine of Aragon."

"Blanke... performed at Henry VII’s funeral and... coronation (...1509) ..."

"Blanke—like all Africans in England—was a free man."

"He received... twice... [what] most servants would... earn... before successfully petitioning... for a pay rise, doubling his wages..."

"In 1596, a black man... Edward Swarthye whipped John Guye... future first governor of Newfoundland. They were both servants... of Sir ..."

"It was... that such a high-status, educated servant as John Guye had been publicly humiliated that upset... onlookers, not the colour of Swarthye’s skin."

"Swarthye... [was] one of many Africans who fled their Spanish enslavers to join the English."

"The fact that Swarthye was allowed to testify in court demonstrates that he was... a free man... Swarthye’s testimony was taken by the Court... without demur."

"Reasonable Blackman was a silk weaver... probably... from Antwerp... which had a sizeable African population and was a... centre for cloth manufacture."

"Around 50,000 refugees fled to England from the southern Netherlands between 1550 and 1585, as war raged between Dutch rebels and Spanish forces occupying their country."

"Blackman had a family of at least three children... Edward, Edmund and Jane... we can assume he was married... As with ’s wife... she was probably an Englishwoman."

"[I]n... 1592... his daughter... and one of his sons, Edmund, died of the plague that struck London..."

"1614... "Edward Blakemore of , silkweaver" was married in Stepney."

"’s possessions... each tell us something of her life. But the fact that she had them... tells us..l. Africans in England were not owned, but themselves possessed property."

"The role of people of African descent in the colonization of Latin America... is a pivotal one. Starting from the earliest Spanish activity in the New World, Africans were present both as involuntary settlers and as voluntary conquistadors. The acquisition of status and privilege by African officers... reflected the active role of leadership played by these men..."

"[U]nlike who most probably travelled to Portugal on his own, was enslaved... acquired... by the Portuguese... and... sent... to Mexico. In Mexico City, he was purchased by ... a cousin of Hernan Cortes. ...[H]e was baptized and given the name "Juan Valiente" and accompanied Alonso Valiente as a servant back to Spain."

"[H]e signed a contract that allowed him to work for others as a conquistador... after four years, he was to return... and pay... Alonso... to gain his freedom. It was a time where a large number of Africans were sweeping through Latin America, the Caribbean and South America under different captains and commanders."

"While Juan Valiente is the most famous of African Conquistadors in Chile, he wasn't the only African Conquistador... but... one among many... sixteenth-century armed African-born or Spanish-born free Africans and servants who actively participated in the... expeditions and conquests... Juan Garrido... participated in the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1521. Other African conquistadors... include Sebastián Toral in Mexico, Juan Beltrán in Chile, Estevanico in Florida, Pedro Fulupo in Costa Rica, and Juan Bardales in Honduras and Panama. For participating in these expeditions, most enslaved men gained their freedom while others who joined in as free men were awarded minor posts in their new homelands."

"Many sources promote the idea that Africans who went to the New World were only mass slaves who were forcefully sent... to work... on plantations. The conquistadors’ names formerly mentioned and the accounts of how they were compensated... including money, land and slaves... demolishes this idea and shows instead that Africans... were... a great asset and played a vital role throughout the... Spanish expansion."

"There were black/African people in pre-modern Europe during the Medieval and Tudor times! ...Some were affluent members of the society, iconic fictional characters, revered Saints, and... Knights."

"[P]re-modern Europe was more diverse than most of us have been led to assume."

"[P]eople of African descent were a part of the Tudor society... accepted and given the same rights as anyone else."

"While is... the most well-known Black Tudor... Others include (a salvage diver), Diego (a circumnavigator), (a servant), Dederi Jaquoah, (a prince and a merchant), Anne Cobbie (prostitute), Edward Swarthye (porter), (silk weaver), and of (an independent single woman)."

"In 1632, an Ethiopian traveler named Ṣägga Krǝstos arrived in Cairo and introduced himself to Franciscan missionaries as the legitimate heir to the Ethiopian throne. Following conversion to Catholicism, he embarked on an epic journey throughout the Italian peninsula and France, where he was hosted and supported by the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, multiple northern Italian rulers, and the French monarchy. Ṣägga Krǝstos was an impostor, but... thanks to... skilled self-fashioning, he was extensively supported by his... hosts."

"March 10, 1632, an African youth knocked at the door of Cairo’s Venetian consulate, asking to be treated by its resident physician... [H]e introduced himself as Ṣägga Krǝstos... son of the slain Ethiopian Emperor Yaʿǝqob... and told of his escape... after... Catholic Emperor Susǝnyos... killed his father. The story intrigued Paolo da Lodi... prefect of the Franciscan mission in Egypt since 1630... aware of the religious and political turmoil... Father Paolo saw the young Ethiopian as a valuable asset... Ṣägga Krǝstos visited Jerusalem, converted to Catholicism, then traveled to Rome, where Propaganda Fide vetted him in anticipation of his return to Ethiopia at the helm of a Franciscan mission. Instead, he would spend the rest of his life in Europe, as a guest of multiple courts, until his death in 1638 at Cardinal Richelieu’s mansion in Ruel."

"The first municipal reference to a free black man dates from 1539, when the municipal council acknowledged "Juan de Ordáz, negro" as a ', a title... with... civic rights. Acquiring ', the status and privileges of formally acknowledged residency, carried great significance... [V]ecinos could petition the council for plots... to erect... residences or cultivate orchards.... what Juan de Ordáz did. He... twice in the historical record... selling the urban plots... he had been granted... In 1546, Francisco Díaz, a black freedman, was also included on the city’s list of registered residents. Two other black men, Juan de Montalvo and Diego Monte, had their vecindad[s]... in 1550 and 1571, respectively."

"What... allowed these men... vecino status? ...freedom and a wife. Ordáz received a 200-peso dowry from his wife, Catalina Díaz. Montalvo... Puebla’s towncrier... [b]y 1555... had... enough money to send... Pedro de Padilla... to Guatemala... to bring his wife back... Montalvo’s standing as a free black vecino with connections to elite Poblanos distinguished him in a city where the overwhelming majority of people of African descent were enslaved."

"Other notable black men undoubtedly spent time in Puebla... but Pedro López de Villaseñor’s listing suggests... few were able to claim vecindad.[T]he black was... [b]orn on the African mainland around 1505... purchased by Hernan Cortés's cousin and... conquistador, ... [who] took Juan Valiente to Puebla... in 1532. ...In an emerging settlement defined for its anti-conquistador stance, it is not... clear that he benefited from his owner's social standing. ...Valiente asked his owner to grant him four years "to seek opportunity" as a conquistador in 's expedition to Guatemala. ...By 1534 ...[he] had made his way to Guatemala and Northern Peru. He would fight for in Chile the following year. Over the next two decades, Juan Valiente received an estate near de Chile, married Juana de Valdivia, and... received an for his military feats."

"In her 2017 book Black Tudors: The Untold Story has written a seminal work..."

"Africans were already known to have been living in Roman Britain as soldiers, slaves or even free men and women. Kaufmann shows that, by Tudor times, some were... present at the royal courts... and ...in households of courtiers ..."

"William Shakespeare... wrote several black parts... two of his greatest characters are black... [T]hat he put them into mainstream entertainment reflects... that they were a significant element in the population of London."

"[T]hey were employed... as domestic servants, professional businessmen, musicians, dancers and entertainers. ...[T]hey were not slaves."

"[I]n Elizabeth's reign, the black people of London... were free; some... married native English people."

"n... Dederi Jaquoah... circumnavigated half the globe with Sir Francis Drake."

"[I]n the reign of Queen Mary... 'there was a Negro made fine spanish needles in but would never teach his Art to any'. ...'Spanish needles' ...fine sewing needles ...of steel, were new to England ...the black man in Cheapside ...first brought the art of steel needle-making to England."

"Black Tudors were socially no worse off than white ones. ...[T]hey were acknowledged as citizens ..."

"I have been dreaming of an outdoor world record for ever, now I want them all: the 1500, the 5000, even the 800."

"Everybody expects me to win the gold medal, I have to do it, especially after what my sister has achieved. I have to do the same, if not better."

"I wanted to train more for the outdoor season than the indoor season, so I changed my training totally, I already have natural speed which I don’t need to work on, so in training I’ve been working more on my endurance. Now I think I can run faster outdoors than I previously thought I was capable of."

"Most of the girls can’t stay with me in training, it just has to be guys."

"I never needed to run to school because it was close to home, I never did much running in school. Unlike other Ethiopian runners, I did not have a running childhood."

"This year has been fantastic, and the big bonus is the marriage on top of the Olympics."

"I won the 5k and 10k at the Olympics and would hope I have done enough to win the athlete of the year."

"I want to improve the records for both distances and the hardest to achieve is the 10k"

"I have never been happier"

"I was not even happy in Beijing.No one has ever done what I did today"

"We have a good coach, who has helped us very much with our training. The coach’s wisdom and the technical activities we do in Bekoji have helped it to produce so many good athletes."

"There’s always a lot of competition, so whenever I win a race at that distance, I’m really thrilled."

"The passion hasn’t decreased"

"Running is in my blood and I still get the same feeling whenever I go out for training that I always have done. It’s always there."

"We are six (6) founding members who, at first, randomly found opportunities to talk. Later, we convinced ourselves that we had to do something to "help the country" outside the framework of our professional activities, in order to make our small contribution to the fight against poverty. But what to do?"

"Based on our objectives, we decided to implement five-year activity programs, the first of which began in January 2007. Health promotion involves several factors—behavioral, cultural, social, economic, etc.—that are not part of the traditional health domain. Our means of action are advocacy, social mobilization, awareness-raising, and education. For this first program, we decided to focus on certain conditions."

"We plan to partner with the Ministry of Basic Education. This involves developing behaviors that protect children from health risks. We have two strategies: we plan to do this through extracurricular activities, where, through theater and stage performances, we will encourage children to think about behavioral hygiene issues, and also through the publication of educational and recreational books that we could popularize in partnership with the MEBA."

"I was glad to participate in an event like this during which I met people who are particularly passionate and enthusiastic to join us in doing all we can to protect our populations from these risks of vulnerability"

"In the context of Burkina, drinking water supply is insufficient and using polluted water remains widespread, especially in rural areas. Regarding hygiene and sanitation, rainwater drainage systems are weak in urban areas and almost non-existent in rural areas, causing floods and the spread of disease vectors"

"Most women and girls will develop schistosomiasis if they are not treated: if they are infected, the disease could develop into female genital schistosomiasis which increases the risk of contracting HIV and has a huge impact on the reproductive health of women, leading to complications during childbirth. For people living in isolated rural areas with limited access to regular health care, such risks regularly put their lives in danger."

"I created KIMI Foundation to promote the prevention of avoidable diseases, in particular among women and children. To achieve this target, I implement educational programs and hygiene promotion campaigns. I believe that these will contribute to health policy as implemented by the Government and public authorities of my country."

"My career was divided between Germany (Marburg) where my father was studying, Nigeria (Maiduguri) where he was stationed and Chad (N'Djamena). After obtaining my scientific baccalaureate in 1999, I enrolled at the Faculty of Exact and Applied Sciences of Farcha (northern district of N'Djamena) where I studied for 2 years. From 1995 to 1998, I learned the technique of creating comics with Gérard Leclaire at the educational support office. It was there that I perfected my drawing skills. Professionally, I am a secretary at the Graphic Design and Computer Graphics Workshop in N'Djamena. I worked as a receptionist, was active in several associations and finally, I am a caricaturist and editor of the satirical newspaper "Le Miroir". I also work at the Al Mouna Cultural Center as an editor and caricaturist."

"The idea of ​​writing a book is a childhood dream, just to imitate my father who was in the meantime writing his doctoral thesis. For my poetry collection, I first had the idea of ​​trying to write a few poems, like Alphonse de Lamartine or Victor Hugo. After that, I finally discovered in myself the soul of a poet and the passion for writing, which led me to write a lot of poetry. Why not look for a publisher? I said to myself."

"It's obvious that poetry seems difficult for ordinary people. I, in particular, didn't choose poetry objectively. It was rather the choice of my passion."

"At first, it wasn't easy because "Le Manuscrit" only receives texts online. And for that, I had to type the texts. Fortunately, I received help from the graphic design and computer graphics workshop, the director general of the African Intellectual Property Organization, my father, and the historian Akouya Djallah."

"It's a tale that was told to me by my mother, which was also told to her by her mother and so on... the tale tells the story of a girl who went to fetch water alone and met a witch in the forest who transformed her into a supernatural creature. To be able to adapt it to my film "Reine du Guera", I had to reinvent and innovate it"

"I loved watching them on television. It was a world that made me dream. While watching them, I asked myself lots of questions, such as, why didn't the companies that make these films make them about African or Chadian tales? And in the end, I said to myself that if they did it, why not us? Especially since, in their time, they didn't have the privilege of having all these technological tools that are at our disposal today"

"When I heard the news, I was first surprised not because I didn't have confidence in myself, but because I am a perfectionist, when I do a job, I go beyond my limits and with the "Queen of Guera" I always told myself that something was missing. Then, I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride, for my country Chad, because it is above all it that is put forward ", she says before adding, " this accomplishment is not only for me but also for all those who invested in the project."

"The rights of human beings continue to be violated because the perpetrators of the most atrocious acts enjoy total impunity."

"After the presidential elections in May 2001, we wrote a motion of protest against France’s involvement in maintaining “autocratic regimes in Chad” that we intended to submit to the Ambassador in Ndjamena during a peaceful protest in front of the French Embassy. Army units surrounded us and a grenade exploded between my legs."

"Villages were pillaged … people who sought refuge inside churches were burnt, as buildings collapsed under the government’s fire"

"Today, the last pieces were taken away from me, and I no longer sound."

"It's the part of naiveté I have left because I don't have the right to fail. A case like this is, above all, a succession of failures and disillusionments."

"In fact, I continued to attend classes, but through the classroom window, and while answering questions from the teacher I had slapped. A sister, whom I loved very much, said to me: "You're a rebel, a child who became an adult a little too soon. Go, go back to class."

"I am a Protestant raised by Catholic sisters while remaining deeply Protestant. I am the voice of orphans."

"Since I was a child, I have always had a dream: that one day I shall build a big house where all unfortunate people can live and enjoy life."

"At the entrance to the Ministry office, following local traditional etiquette, they took off their shoes before entering the office. Today, they are more self-confident and they know how to negotiate with the mayor and with development partners. They travel abroad and exchange their views with others."

"I have to capitalize information, think about women’s situation and help them in different ways. I wanted Chadian women to be self-dependent and self-confident. My dream was to boast their capabilities in order to achieve their responsibilities and act for peace in the country."

"The National Assembly and the government should pass a law creating a Support Fund for Artistic Creation. Everyone recognizes that there are enormous needs. Unfortunately, there are no resources. And as you know, we have spent ten months receiving a barrage of requests for projects that we are unable to develop because we do not have a penny to provide a little support to these different artists who contact us."

"Understand our pain at being humiliated. To see our country humiliated. Because it is incapable of producing a monitoring report. You don't produce a monitoring report in an office."

"You see how laborious it is to deploy an institutional mission when there are no resources at your disposal. What can you do?"

"(Laughter). The rest of the funds will go to the organizing committee, which has incurred quite a bit of debt to organize this cultural event. We have approached sponsors who have so far not responded favorably, probably due to the economic crisis affecting the country. This is also the reason for the postponement of the concert to July 9, originally scheduled for June 3."

"I am a mother and also a local goodwill ambassador for the FAO. When I was at the National School of Administration and Magistracy (Enam), the theme of my dissertation was "the rights of the Chadian child." This love for children has been close to my heart for a long time. Thus, to make this dream come true, on June 16, 2003, on the occasion of Children's Day, I gave my first concert at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and African Integration to pay tribute to Chadian children. So, I have a sort of "vocation" to help deprived children in general. We all have a responsibility towards children. We must help those who are on the streets to reintegrate into society. Because the child is the father of the man. This is why the theme of my concert is "For a Chad worthy of its children." This project is approved by UNICEF and is non-profit. He's more of a humanitarian. And I'll continue to do it because it's a commitment of mine. A portion of the funds raised at the concert will be donated to UNICEF to support children in difficult situations."

"As I told you, my vacation is not intended to rest, but to carry out a number of projects that are close to my heart. These include, among others, the production of my next album, some of the lyrics of which have already been written. Moreover, during this concert, a song from my 3rd album entitled "Samha" meaning "beautiful woman" will be performed on the occasion. I take this opportunity to inform you that all my songs will be sung to pay tribute first to Chadian women and children. My second short-term project is the creation of my foundation called "FOMOM", Mounira Mitchala Foundation. This foundation will be created to help vulnerable groups, specifically Chadian women and children."

"I was born in 1979 when my country was already at war… It’s 2008 now, and Chad is still at war. I was actually in N’Djamena during a fierce battle in February of this year and I can tell you that war is completely and utterly terrible. I saw it firsthand with my own eyes. It’s only when we get peace in my homeland that we’ll be able to start building for the future."

"Peace and unity are not just vain and empty words for me."

"I started singing at a very early age, I never gave up despite all the obstacles I encountered. By the time I reached my teens, I knew I wanted to get out there and perform live, so I started taking drama lessons to overcome my natural shyness. After that, I went on to sing. I used playback at first. But then gradually as I gained more confidence I began to use my real voice. The turning-point came in 2000 when I wrote my first song in English and started performing concerts."

"This is not a coup d'état. The military may have taken over, but that doesn't mean it's a coup d'état because the people have won. It's the people who fought this battle. The military are now there to ensure their safety."

"Like everyone else, I want this transition to run smoothly."

"I thought he was just looking for a way to explain to us what happened."

"But he still hasn't spoken to us. He still has a chance to, he should explain"

"I can say that I am still a little relieved that this struggle of more than 30 years, or let's say 35 years, has come to an end. I can say that I feel a sense of relief in that regard."

"It's not me who chooses, that's their will, it depends on them. They are free. They are adults. They are no longer children. They are men. They are people your age, people of your generation"

"You know that the bodies have been exhumed, and that resuscitation has not yet been performed. The next step would be to bury them. We are preparing for that. And then? Well, now everyone will mourn."

"Yes, they will come, as I said. They have been following everything that is happening. They will come when they are ready. Now, that depends on them. I, I am not. I am not against them coming."

"I am drawing inspiration from so many different sources right now—from the multiracial crowds that filled the streets after George Floyd’s killing, and the writings of Ta-Nehisi Coates, to the doctors and nurses who are working around the clock to help the sick during this pandemic. To be honest, having spent most of 2020 at home, anyone who is still smiling and maintaining a positive outlook on life is a source of inspiration to me!"

"Nearly 300 schoolgirls were taken by Boko Haram in April 2014. Fifty seven of them escaped in the immediate hours that followed, but 219 disappeared into the forest. Although 107 of those girls are back, 112 still remain unaccounted for. I’m still holding out hope that once this pandemic is behind us, the Nigerian government can be encouraged to resume efforts to track down the missing girls, and do whatever is necessary to bring them home. I hope my book brought to life the resilience of African girls and how determined they are to gain an education, and with that knowledge, I hope it strengthened the resolve of donors to invest in girls’ education—not just in Nigeria, or Africa, but across the entire developing world, where too many girls are still not in school."

"When the pandemic first started, I was hosting two COVID-focused shows on Facebook and Instagram. I worked around the clock, and whenever I finally stopped for the day, I binge-watched and read more news for hours. During that time, decompressing was really difficult. Once we wrapped the shows at the end of June, I made the decision to be more intentional about maintaining a better balance between work and rest. So now I try to limit how much news I consume. I also decompress by watching other things that don’t weigh as heavily on the heart and mind."

"If you’d told the 16-year-old me that at 46, I’d be divorced, single and having a baby on my own — by choice! — I’d have shuddered and firmly said “no!"

"I’ve been blessed to build the career of my dreams over decades as a journalist — 13 years on air for CNN International, travelling the world to cover global events and interviewing presidents, movie stars and world leaders."

"A brief marriage to a kind man didn’t result in children, and then the year I turned 40, my mum had a catastrophic stroke, leaving me no emotional space to contemplate anything other than caring for her. Six years went by and a few months ago I found myself in a subpar relationship with a man who took about 12 hours to reply to all my texts, among other red flags."

"So, I decided to take control of my life and settle on the bravest and scariest decision I have ever made: to have a baby on my own. I had many long conversations with myself and tried to get to grips with questions about what it would mean to not have the support of a partner, both emotionally and financially. How would I handle society’s questions?"

"During the Olympics, when athletes were walking into the stadium for the closing ceremony: regardless of nationalities we walked side by side as one. This scene echoed the movie “the gladiator” when all the wrestlers overcame their differences to battle together. In the end, they understood that teamwork would break the painful circle of hate, which I believe to also be the Olympian’s superpower."

"I quickly understood that I could fail at both what I love and don’t love. By extrapolating lessons learned in my 100m hurdles, I learned to pinpoint the hurdles outside of my sport. When challenged to seek alignment, I could express unlimited performance, enthusiasm, passion and joy. Thus, I see many of my failures as an expression of resilience, trained consciously or subconsciously."

"My greatest lesson learned as an Olympian is the understanding that I am human, and the world is mine. As a part of this ecosystem, I discovered that through practice, I can unlock my power. I came into this body to enjoy everything that I desire, not to struggle. Just like sports, my body is a vehicle to find answers, and feel exhilaration to be who I am. Olympians come from all over the world, some are rich, some poor. It is a stage that helps you understand how to focus to make big moves in your life. I have participated several times in the same event (Olympics), yet will still focus on the different aspects to improve each time."

"The Kendeja building was meant to be a symbol of Liberia’s commitment to promoting our arts and cultures. So, it is a shame to see that we no longer have such a historical site and the past government did nothing for its rebirth."

"I am saying this because we need a space where artists can come together to showcase their work and where cultural events can be held. I hope President Boakai can prioritize the reconstruction of the Kendeja building to ensure that Liberia’s arts and cultures continue to thrive."

"We cannot put a price on the value of our arts and cultures because the Kendeja building is more than just a physical structure; it is a symbol of our identity as Liberians and by rebuilding it, we are investing in the future of our country and ensuring that our cultural heritage continues to be celebrated and preserved for generations to come."

"These are very troubling things. I don’t like to sing this song, but we do because we have to take a message to the people."

"At the time, I didn’t know the word therapy. But I knew that singing to the people make them feel better."

"So when I wrote that song, everywhere I went to perform in any refugee camp people, would cry and always sit and talk. Because as you live, you cannot keep your problems to yourself."