But more than anything, these stories showcase Black Americans’ humanity in their fight for freedom, Kendi says.įor Blain, compiling this collection was a “moving experience” that took both editors by surprise at times, she says. The bulk of the book focuses on the time period when Black people were enslaved, Kendi says, a history that many Americans are quick to move past. Many of the anecdotes on resilience and rebellion, specifically within the pages devoted to enslavement of Black people, may be new to readers. Every writer covers a five-year period, and together, the pages make up what is the first single-volume history of Black Americans that we know of. Generations from now, readers will be able to dive into “Four Hundred Souls” and get a glimpse into the mindset of Black Americans on the 400th year mark, Kendi explains.Įach section of the book covers 40 years, beginning in 1619 and ending in 2019. The editors brought together a community of Black writers who could tell that history as they see it. They wanted to capture centuries of stories and create a physical product that “could not only write history, but be history,” Kendi says. Blain, who edited “Four Hundred Souls,” have been thinking about the 400th year anniversary of Black America for some time. They embarked not as people but as property.” “Some 40% of Angolans who boarded that ghastly vessel did not make it across the middle passage. They had been captured and stolen, forced onto a ship, shackled, writhing in filth as they suffered and starved,” she writes. “The Adams and Eves of Black America did not arrive here in search of freedom or better life. Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones writes a chapter on the arrival of the White Lion, a harrowing tale which she calls “classically American.” 'Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019' collects the work of 90 writers - historians, poets, journalists, novelists and activists - to tell the stories of Black Americans, from the arrival of the White Lion, which brought enslaved people to the colonies in 1619, to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Click here for that audio.Ī new book takes a communal look at a history that has long been buried. 'Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019.' (Courtesy) This article is more than 2 years old.Įditor's note: This segment was rebroadcast on Jan.

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