Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Welcome: Me and Why I Started Red, Black, and Green

A Yoruba fertility statue with a beaded Sankofa.



Hujambo! Ndeewo! E n le! Agoo! Gyebale ko! Hallo! Assalamu Alaikim!

African history was barely present in my education. Even in college history classes, it was still the same old topics every time. Slavery, civil wars, and Ancient Egypt is seemingly the only thing that most Americans will ever learn in school in terms of African history. The continent is massive and has endless stories and people throughout its history that should be celebrated. There are nearly 3000 different cultures and languages on the entire continent. The thing that unlocked this passion in me and make this massive subject seem approachable was the Asante Empire (which will be in multiple articles if I'm being realistic). This fully kicked off my obsession to educate myself and fill in the blanks that I never see in pop culture, school, and movies.




After my first run of college, I made a choice. I was going to learn as much as African history as I possibly could. In my collection, I have over 50 books on the subject - from Basil Davidson and Walter Rodney to several out-of-print dry (but still interesting) academic texts to encyclopedias of kingdoms and art. I have spend a lot on these and plan on spending more to teach myself more. 

I'm mixed but mostly black (it's too complicated to fully explain) and look high yellow. I still don't know my family's history. I first realized this in elementary school, when we did projects on our cultural heritage. Everyone else picked a nation and most had multiple nations to choose from. My choices were New York, USA, and West Virginia. It was alienating being the one kid that didn't know my family history past the American Civil War. It's a privilege to know where and when your family came from and have records to back it up. 

I am part white too but we didn't even know where that was from. I know I'm not alone. A few years back, my family did a DNA test. I've finally got some vague answers but answers nonetheless. This has only intensified my thirst to learn more. 




African history is equally as valid and important as European, American, and the rest of the histories worldwide. There are just as many exciting, complicated, and relatable people, kingdoms, ideas, and everything else as their global counterparts. It's not as accessible but there are still many ways to educate yourself about a part of the world that's still stigmatized and misrepresented. 




Red, Black, and Green are the colors of the Pan-African flag adopted in 1920. The UNIA adopted it in response to the popular minstrel songs of the era, mainly Every Race has a Flag, but the Coon. Marcus Garvey led the Universal Negro Improvement Association in passing the red, black, and green flag as the flag representing everyone in the African Diaspora. This site is a celebration of the forgotten, hidden, and necessary history from the African continent and the diaspora. 


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