Guinea
      Coast
      who
      told
     
     
      Columbus
      of
      a
      route
      to
     
     
      America.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Yes.
      That
      might
      be
      found
      in
     
     
      Harold
      Lawrence’s
      little
      pam-
     
     
      phlet
      Africans
      and
      the
      Explo-
     
     
      ration
      of
      America.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Many
      people
      seem
      to
      be
      con-
     
     
      fused
      as
      to
      whether
      Africans
     
     
      were
      enslaved
      because
      we
     
     
      were
      black
      or
      for
      economic
     
     
      reasons.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Both
      ways.
      Both
      ways.
      And
     
     
      there
      is
      nothing
      to
      be
      confused
     
     
      about.
      White
      people
      in
      Eu-
     
     
      rope
      were
      coming
      out
      ofa
      form
     
     
      of
      slavery
      called
      feudalism
      at
     
     
      the
      time
      when
      Blacks
      were
     
     
      being
      pushed
      into
      slavery
     
     
      based
      on
      racism.
      But
      the
      con-
     
     
      cept
      we
      know
      as
      racism
      de-
     
     
      veloped
      during
      the
      period
      asa
     
     
      rationale
      for
      slavery,
      devel-
     
     
      oped
      mainly
      by
      the
      Church.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      What
      would
      you
      say
      to
      those
     
     
      people
      who
      try
      to
      quantify
     
     
      slavery
      in
      terms
      of
      numbers?
     
     
      Some
      say
      10
      million
      were
     
     
      killed
      and
      others
      say
      as
      much
     
     
      4s
      60
      million
      or
      more.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Well,
      I
      don’t
      think
      we’
      ll
      ever
     
     
      know
      for
      sure,
      but
      we
      know
     
     
      damn
      well
      it
      was
      more
      than
      10
     
     
      million.
      Some
      of
      the
      best
      new
     
     
      work
      has
      been
      done
      by
      a
      Nige-
     
     
      rian
      named
      Ankora.
      He’s
      gone
     
     
      through
      the
      slave
      logs
      and
      he’s
     
     
      Searched
      diaries
      of
      captains
     
     
      and
      slave
      catchers.
      For
      every
     
     
      Slave
      that
      got
      to
      the
      shore,
     
     
      Seven
      died
      before
      they
      got
     
     
      there,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Seven!?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Seven
      died
      en
      route
      from
      the
     
     
      hinterland
      to
      the
      coast.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Before
      they
      ever
      left
      Africa?
     
     
      Before
      they
      ever
      left
      Africa.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      As
      the
      slave
      trade
      moved
     
     
      deeper
      and
      deeper
      inland
      you
     
    
   
   
    
     
      find
      miles
      and
      miles
      of
      skel-
     
     
      etons.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We’
      ll
      never
      know
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      count
      over
      something
      that
     
     
      would
      have
      been
      wrong
      even
     
     
      ifit
      was
      only
      one.
      Because
      my
     
    
   
   
    
     
      today--is
      directly
      and
      intri-
     
     
      cately
      tied
      to
      Columbus’
      voy-
     
     
      age.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sure
      and
      we
      should
     
     
      stop
      arguing
      about
      it
     
     
      and
      even
      pretending
     
     
      we
      llever
      know.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      So
      itdoesn’tmakea
     
     
      difference?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      makes
      a
      difference
     
     
      but
      there’s
      nothing
     
     
      we
      can
      do
      about
      it.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      go
      onour
      way.
     
     
      But
      I’m
      sure
      you’d
     
    
   
   
    
     
      agree
      that
      regardless
     
     
      of
      whether
      it
      was
      one
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "...the
      single
     
     
      greatest
      act
      of
     
    

    
     
      protracted
     
     
      Weemnestimateand
      PYULAEY
      In
      human
     
    
   
   
    
     
      history."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      He
      opened
      up
      the
     
     
      hemisphere
      for
      Eu-
     
     
      ropean
      settlement
     
     
      and
      that,
      in
      turn,
     
     
      changed
      the
      history
     
     
      of
      the
      world
      for
      all
     
     
      time.
      And
      I
      did
      not
     
     
      say
      for
      the
      better...
     
     
      What
      he
      set
      in
      mo-
     
     
      tion
      is
      still
      part
      of
     
     
      our
      daily
      lives.
      And
     
     
      nothing
      is
      that
      far
     
     
      behind
      us.
     
    

    
     
      Were
      the
      changes
      he
     
     
      brought
      aboutinevi-
     
     
      table?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      or
      twenty
      million
      it
     
     
      was...
     
    

    
     
      Whether
      Hitler
      killed
      one
      mil-
     
     
      lion
      Jews
      or
      six--if
      he
      killed
     
     
      six
      million
      Jews
      he
      was
     
     
      wrong.
      If
      he
      killed
      them
      for
     
     
      racial
      reasons
      he
      was
      wrong
     
     
      killing
      six
      and
      he
      was
      wrong
     
     
      for
      killing
      six
      million.
      So
      I
     
     
      can’t
      get
      involved
      in
      any
      body
     
    
   
   
    
     
      main
      involvement
      is
      how
     
     
      wrong
      the
      act
      was.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      can
      say
      without
      doubt
      that
     
     
      the
      ramifications
      of
     
     
      Columbus’
      voyage
      to
      the
     
     
      America
      and
      the
      plight--not
     
     
      only
      of
      African
      peoples,
      but
     
     
      of
      people
      of
      the
      Third
      World
     
    
   
   
    
     
      They
      were
      not
      inevi-
     
     
      table
      quite
      that
      way.
      Europe
     
     
      could
      have
      entered
      into
      a
      part-
     
     
      nership
      with
      the
      same
      people
     
     
      it
      conquered,
      and
      there
      would
     
     
      have
      been
      more
      for
      Europe
      and
     
     
      more
      for
      everybody.
      But
      they
     
     
      were
      so
      destructive,
      wanting
     
     
      everything,
      that
      they
      killed
     
     
      the
      goose
      that
      laid
      the
      egg.
      >
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
       
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      neat!
      4
     
     
      could
      use
     
    

    
     
      oO
      new
     
     
      car!
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Laie,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Me
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hey
      columbus
     
     
      out
     
    
   
   
    
     
      1
      check
      |
     
     
      new.
      cars)
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Br
      een
      es
      sree
      ad
      }
     
    
   
   
    
     
      columbys
      discovers
      a
      used
      car