By Patrick Sawer DNA tests have proved that Alex Haley – the black American author whose book Roots traced his family origins from the slave plantations of the US back to Africa – was of Scottish ancestry. The tests have established that Haley – whose work is credited with helping transform the self-image of millions …
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By Preston King Special to AfriGeneas The South has a penchant for dogma and excess. It is an inclination that needs amending. The region has made much progress, but, in the end, perhaps, only under duress. We are right to be sensitive to the large, long-term failure reflected in the region’s history. To be blunt, …
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Records of more than 30,000 slaves shipped to New Orleans, copies of more than 20,000 letters to and from Abraham Lincoln, and records of 4.2 million Civil War soldiers are going online for the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. Most will be available only to …
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A remote western Illinois field could someday yield tourists instead of crops, adding to the state’s legacy of racial equality that already includes Abraham Lincoln and the nation’s first black president.Once an integrated town that flourished decades before the Civil War broke the grip of slavery, the lost community’s potential as a …
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By Preston King Special to AfriGeneas I have rare access to White House sources. When the President spoke on that cold January day, he (to keep warm) said more than intended. Listeners outdoors, amidst chattering teeth, could not hear. Many at home, choked with emotion, fared no better. I have permission to transcribe the original …