Posted on 21 March 2012. Tags: British Navy, Carlisle Jail, Jamaica, Negroes, Peterloo Masacre, Robert Wedderburn, Scottish, Slave mother, The Horrors of Slavery, The axe laid to the root, Thomas Spence, mixed race, slave

Robert Wedderburn was born in Jamaica in 1762. His father was White Scottish, and his mother a slave. His family life was not one that involved a loving home. His father sold his mother to Lady Douglass, whilst she was pregnant with Robert. He did stipulate that when the child was born, he should be ...
Posted in Black Britain, Black History, Black History Month UK, Black People in Europe, Caribbean History, Slavery
Posted on 23 September 2010. Tags: African Hair, Afro, Afro Wig, Black Hair, Oprah Winfrey, Solange Knowles, black women, dark skinned, light skinned, skin colour, slave

This is a Contributed Article by Minna Salami from
http://www.msafropolitan.com/
I like the perspective that India.Arie and Akon have in 'I am not my hair'.It's not a new song, most of you have heard it, danced to it, chanted it, maybe even as a spiritual practice of sort!
Jokes aside, a very powerful message often goes missed in ...
Posted in African History, Black History, Black Women, Slavery
Posted on 06 September 2010. Tags: Black musician, Brazil, Cornwall, Joseph Emidy, Music, Portuguese, Violin, black composers, black violinists, composers, slave

Joseph Emidy (also spelt Emedy or Emedee) had been second violin in the orchestra of the Lisbon opera house before being pressed into the Royal Navy in 1795.
Born in West Africa in c.1775 JOSEPH ANTONIO EMIDY was enslaved as a child by Portuguese traders, taken to Brazil and subsequently Portugal where he became a virtuoso ...
Posted in African History, Black Britain, Black History, Black History Month UK, Black People in Europe, Slavery
Posted on 23 August 2010. Tags: 89th Foot, Black Bandsmen, British armed Forces, Chelsea Pensioners, Dominican Republic, East India Company, French West Indies, George Cocoa, George Warner, Gosport, Haiti, Hampshire, Ireland, Java Clasp, Joseph Gasford, Meath, Military General Service Medal, Napoleonic Wars, Portsmouth, Royal Irish Fusiliers, Soldier, St Domingo, Turkish Music, Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, Waterloo, West India Regiments, West Indies, black soldiers, jamaican, slave

Far from Home;
A Brief Record of the Life, Military Service and Death of Joseph Gasford; A Black Bandsman of the 89th Foot; Late of St. Domingo and Gosport, Hampshire.
By John D Ellis.
Joseph Gasford was born in French governed St. Domingo, (modern day Haiti and the Domincan Republic), in 1785. Whether he was born enslaved or ...
Posted in Black Britain, Black People in Europe, Black Soldiers, Caribbean History