Second Discussion – Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America

For those who want to go into more depth on this text, and for those who missed our first discussion, come continue the discussion of Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America by Lerone Bennett Jr.  Bennett.  We’ll focus most on the second half of the book this time.

To mark the 400th year since Africans were brought against their will to the British Colonies, Hugh Taft-Morales will host a book discussion of Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America by Lerone Bennett Jr.  Bennett traces black history from its origins in western Africa, through the transatlantic journey that ended in slavery, the Reconstruction period, the Jim Crow era, and the civil rights upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s, culminating in an exploration of the complex realities of African-American life in the 1990s. (You are encouraged to find the most recent edition, though Hugh will be using the 6th edition published in 1993 in case you want literally “to be on the same page”.)  Even if you don’t manage to read the book, you are welcome to attend, although the first half of the discussion will be reserved for those who read most of the book.