Posts tagged "west africa"

W. E. B. DuBois – A Gift for Words

William E. B. DuBois
1868 – 1963
birthplace — Great Barrington, MA

“A Gift for Words”

On Tuesday, August 27, 1963, as thousands of people were planning to march on Washington, D. C., W. E. B. DuBois died. Some people cried when they heard the news. The great black leader, who had been living in Ghana, West Africa, would be missed.

William was a talented man who was respected throughout the world. He was a a scholar, writer, sociologist, philosopher, and leader.

William spent his entire life working for justice and equal rights for black people. He helped organize the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. This great civil rights organization has lead the fight for black equality for over 75 years. William worked as editor of “Crisis,” the NAACP magazine. He wrote more than 20 books. “Souls of Black Folks” is the best known.

Many people have been involved in the struggle to make a better America. But no one was more outspoken than William. He supported the fight for black rights in Africa and throughout the world, and he was a leader of the peace movement. Not everyone accepted his ideas. He was attacked by those who disagreed with him. After years of struggle, he moved to Ghana.

On August 28, the historic March on Washington was held. The man with “a gift for words” would have been proud.

Joseph Cinque – He Would Not Be A Slave

Joseph Cinque
birthname – Sengbe Pieh
1811 – 1879
birthplace — Sierra Leone, West Africa
“He Would Not Be A Slave”

Joseph Cinque’s arms and legs hurt so much he couldn’t move them. He and 52 other young Africans were chained together in the bottom of a ship. They had been kidnapped from their village in Sierra Leone and taken to Havana, Cuba. Now they were on a ship called the Amistad. They were being taken to Principe, Cuba, to work as slaves.

Joseph was determined to be free. One night, he and the other Africans escaped from their chains. They went to the deck of the ship, seized weapons, and fought with the ship’s crew. All but two crew members were killed.

“You must return us to our home in Africa,” Joseph told the two men. But the men still sailed to the United States. The ship was captured off the coast of Connecticut, and Joseph and the others were arrested.

Some people in the United States believed that slavery was wrong. They felt that Joseph should be free. The Supreme Court agreed with them. In 1842, Joseph and the other brave Africans finally were able to return to Africa.