The Omaha guide., 1942-02-07
NEGRO
HISTORY
WEEK
FEBRUARY SIS

SIS
PUBLIC INVITED TO NEGRO
HISTORY PROGRAM
Special from the Dept. of Adult
Education: Invites you to a spec
ial Negro History Program Mon
day, February 9, 8 o'clock at the
Urban League.
The program will consist of a re-
view Of the Negroes contribution
to American life, music and a mo
vie.
Admission free.
THIS WEEK IN RELIGION
AND THOUGHT
by Robert L. Moody
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE
NEGRO IN AMERICAN
HISTORY
The seventeenth annual cele-
bration of Negro History viii be
the week of February S-15, 1912.
This date covers the birthdays of
Abraham Lincoln and Frederick
Douglas and it is used because
these men are to be remembered
as advocates of freedom for the
Negro.
Africa is regarded as the home
of the Negro. Little is known a.
bout Africa and the origin of its
people because Africa, with few
harbors and navigable rivers run
ming into the sea, did not permit
the coming and going Of people as
easily as elsewhere; but there was
sufficient movement of the peo-
pie to claim our attention. Il
Asiatics were the first to make
contacts with the Africans. Much
that Europeans learned came from
the contact of Christian Crusaders
with the highly civilized Arabs in
Asia. Africans were the first to
learn how to smelt iron. Egypt
and Abyssinia were the first coun-
tries to make contact with Asia.
The first people of these two coun-
tries were Negroes.
1.-THE Negro probably acquired
his dark skin in the tropical reg
ions Of the Old World, where the
intensity of the heat and glare
made it necessary for him to pro-
tect himself by developing a thick
fermentation of skin" 2
The Negroes that were brought
to America as slaves came from
Central and West Africa. They
came from the region as far north
as the Senegal River and as far
south as the Congo River. The
center Of the colonial slave trade
was the African coast for about
two hundred miles east of the
great Niger River. From this
comparatively small region came
as many slaves as from all the
rest Of Africa, altogether. Many
Of them were Of entirely different
stock. 3
The story of life on the slave
ship is very sad. These poor peo-
pie were tricked on board slave
vessels by being offered gay cloth,
cheap ornaments and whiskey.
Sometimes they were captured and
forced to 60 on these ships. They
were chained together two by two
and were kept in low, dark and
crowded cabins. Many died from
diseases which were the result of
half rotten or poorly cooked food,
lack of enough water or injuries
received as punishment for rebel
lion. Some jumped overheard and
others became hysterical or insane
ION deck they were forced to
dance by lash and also they were
forced to sing. Thus were born
the sorrow songs, the last cry Of
those who saw their homeland
vanish behind them-forever." 4
There were many Negroes in
Spain by 1892, therefore it is de-
lieved to be accurately stated that
Negroes were with Columbus on
his voyages. Pedro Alonzo Nino,
a Negro pilot with Columbus on
his third voyage in 1896. 1t was
about 1926 that Negroes were first
introduced within the present lin
it's of the United States. These
were brought by the Spanish. Is
tevanico was one of the four sur
vivors of the Inflated expedition
of DeNarvaez.
Ito be continued next week.