Black history IS American History

July 4, 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This document declared that the people of The Thirteen Colonies were sovereign and free to rule themselves as they saw fit. Here's an excerpt from the document that sparked a revolution and created a nation:

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

However, the reality is that many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence held other humans in bondage. It's estimated that somewhere between 25 and 47 of the 56 signers were enslavers of their fellow human beings while they fought for their own liberty and were willing to die for that cause.

Africans were brought here in chains as early as 1619, but we have evidence to prove they visited here before that as well. So, we were here long before 1776-we BEEN here! We came to this country, largely against our will and built this country even while we were indentured and enslaved. We made it our home despite the circumstances we found ourselves plunged into.

Africans brought their ancient wisdom and technology in the hulls of slave ships. Astrology, cosmology, farming, and animal husbandry were just a few of the blessings the enslaved shared with this country. When the call to freedom was sounded, Africans in America answered the call. Crispus Attucks, a Black man, has been documented as the first person to die in the Boston Massacre that was one of the catalysts of the War for Independence-the Revolutionary War.

You can walk many cemeteries from the 17th and 18th centuries, you will find the graves of many people of African descent. You can visit New York City's National Park Site, the African Burial Ground, to learn about many of these unnamed ancestors. You can also visit many New Jersey cemeteries and find the names and burial places of many veterans of the Colored Troops, who fought in the Civil War. You can see the grave of Thomas Mundy Peterson, the first man of color to vote in America; he's buried in Perth Amboy, NJ. Did you notice that I did not mention any burials in the American South? It would take an entire post to discuss the African ancestral presence down South, but they had just as much impact up South.

Black history is truly American history; the two will be forever intertwined. As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, let's remember those overlooked by the signers.

"The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.”-President Barack H. Obama