Global African HistoryPerspectives

Perspectives on Global African History features accounts and descriptions of important but little known events in Global African history recalled often by those who were witnesses or participants or viewpoints about historical developments shaping the contemporary black world. Many of these accounts will be instant primary sources available to current visitors to BlackPast and to future historians. Each article is accompanied by a brief biography and photo of its author.

On the Origins of Non-Violence in the Civil Rights Movement: Howard Thurman in South Asia, 1935-1936

In the article below, historian Amy Sommers describes the February 1936 meeting of Howard Thurman in India with Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of that nation’s non-violence campaign for political independence from Great Britain. She argues that the meeting influenced Thurman’s views on the subject and … Read MoreOn the Origins of Non-Violence in the Civil Rights Movement: Howard Thurman in South Asia, 1935-1936

Black Basketball Team Lost To History

Ask Philly basketball fans to name one of the city’s best professional teams, and they will probably say the 1967 or 1983 Sixers. A few experts might mention the 1956 Philadelphia Warriors. Even the most devoted fans probably have not heard of one of the most significant and … Read MoreBlack Basketball Team Lost To History

Januário Garcia Jr (1943-2021)

Januário Garcia Jr. hailed from Minas Gerais, a Brazilian state renowned for its significant population of Afrodescendentes, or Black Brazilians. Born on November 16, 1943, into a modest family residing on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, the state capital, Garcia embarked on a journey to … Read MoreJanuário Garcia Jr (1943-2021)

Ready, Willing and Able: James Weldon Johnson at the Institute of Pacific Relations’ 1929 Conference in Kyoto, Japan

In the account below historian Amy Sommers describes the diplomatic work of James Weldon Johnson at the Institute of Pacific Relations Conference in Kyoto, Japan in 1929. If one were to imagine a modern renaissance man of such imposing and broad talents as to be … Read MoreReady, Willing and Able: James Weldon Johnson at the Institute of Pacific Relations’ 1929 Conference in Kyoto, Japan

The Black Pacific, 1919-1941: African Americans and Asia in the Interwar Period

In the following article novelist and independent historian Amy Sommers briefly outlines the experience of African Americans in Asia between World Wars I and II. She argues that African American influence in Asia was situated in four broad categories: the performing arts, international relations, faith, … Read MoreThe Black Pacific, 1919-1941: African Americans and Asia in the Interwar Period

Ladinos and Bozales: A Brief Early History of Africans in Colombia: 1500-1800

Few people realize that the percentage of people of African ancestry in the South American nation of Colombia (7%) is slightly more than half the percentage of people of African ancestry in the United States (13%). Yet we know even less about the origins of … Read MoreLadinos and Bozales: A Brief Early History of Africans in Colombia: 1500-1800

Alberta Hunter and the Rhythm Rascals in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II

In the following article independent historian Charles Kastner describes the 1944-1945 tour of Alberta Hunter and the Rhythm Rascals who became the first black USO performing unit to Visit the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II. The China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater of World War Two, was … Read MoreAlberta Hunter and the Rhythm Rascals in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II

The Afro-Beat in Russia: The Influence of Black Music on Russian Popular Culture, 1890-2002

In the following article, Russian DJ Ivan Tchijevsky describes exclusively for BlackPast.org the long history of black music and black musical performers in Russia. Writing from a musical festival in Odessa, Ukraine in June 2019, he outlines his views below. As I visit festivals of … Read MoreThe Afro-Beat in Russia: The Influence of Black Music on Russian Popular Culture, 1890-2002

TransAtlantic Food Migration: The African Culinary Influence on the Cuisine of the Americas

In the article below, culinary historian Diane M. Spivey describes the centuries-old diaspora of African foods and cooking traditions in North and South America. Africa has been a major contributor to the cuisine of North and South America although this contribution has long been overlooked, … Read MoreTransAtlantic Food Migration: The African Culinary Influence on the Cuisine of the Americas

The Asian-African (Bandung) Conference: Fact and Fiction

In the article below independent historian Kyle Haddad-Fonda describes the Asian-African Conference popularly known as the Bandung Conference which was the first significant gathering of independent and soon-to-be independent nations in Asia and Africa. From April 18 to April 24, 1955, delegates from twenty-nine countries … Read MoreThe Asian-African (Bandung) Conference: Fact and Fiction