On October 8, 1565, a carrack commanded by the young captain Juan de Salcedo and piloted by the Augustinian friar Andrés de Urdaneta entered the port of Acapulco in New Spain. It was the first time that a Spanish ship successfully completed the long eastbound journey between the Asian and American continents. The discovery of […]
Read MoreScholars have long argued that slavery deprived men and women of African descent of sovereignty and that the violence it visited daily on their bodies and psyche closed all possibilities of joy. Indeed, in the summer of 2020, it was hard to think about Black sovereignty and joy as I wrapped up the book. But […]
Read MoreOn May 1, 2006 approximately three-fourths of a million unauthorized immigrants across America courageously absented themselves from their jobs to participate in “The Day without Immigrants,” to convince owners of businesses and members of Congress how important immigrants were to the economy. Congress at the time was deliberating legislation to determine whether to legalize or […]
Read MoreHow and why did the Haitian Revolution happen? How did enslaved people from varying backgrounds come together to orchestrate the most radical political event of the modern era – the only revolt of enslaved people to abolish slavery, overturn colonialism, and create the first free and independent Black nation in the Americas? These and other […]
Read MoreWhen sections of the Amazon rainforest burned in 2019, Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro blamed international NGOs. The charge, however, was a bluff to deflect criticism of his failure to protect the forest. It turns out it was local Brazilian ranchers, many of them Bolsonaro supporters, the ones behind the largest fires. Accusing international NGOs […]
Read MoreThis year, Mexico will determine how many of its citizens identify as Afro-Mexican in its 2020 census. Previously, the federal government had only asked about the nation’s African heritage with an intercensal survey conducted in 2015, when 1.4 million people claimed cultural or ancestral roots in Africa. The last five years sit in stark contrast […]
Read MoreWe hope everyone enjoyed our Facebook Live Q&A yesterday with Kris Lane, Matthew Restall and Merry Wiesner-Hanks! Thank you to everyone who submitted questions. It was great to hear about the authors’ teaching experiences and what motivated them to write their textbooks. They shared some useful advice on restructuring courses to teach online. They also […]
Read MoreHow we understand and respond to failure is one of the most defining features of how our lives pan out. Some people refuse to fail. Some people expect to fail. Some people always hide from their own failings (most of these currently seem to be in politics). Others always look for failings in themselves, or […]
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