28 Days (Plus 1) of Black History and Culture – Feb. 1, 2022

African Americans have made extraordinary contributions to the history and culture of the United States as part of the nation and apart from it. This month, Auction Finds presents “28 days (Plus 1)” of this collaborative history. The additional day is intended to break Black history out of the stricture of a month into its rightful place as an equal partner in the history of America. Each day, I will offer artifacts culled from the auction tables and my research, along with the stories they hold. 

Feb. 1, 2022

Black footprint in America came way before slavery

In his “First Book of Negroes,” published in 1952, Langston Hughes related the story of African American history, from its queens, kings and mighty kingdoms in Africa to enslavement in the Americas, along with the contributions of black people around the world. Most importantly, Hughes told of a Black explorer in the 1500s who was among the explorers of the area that is now Arizona and New Mexico. That was something you rarely read about in history books, which equated black history in America purely with slavery. This book shows that slavery is not all that defines Black people. Read the full story.