Origins

We all think we know the story of how Africans came to live in North America, but do we really? Hundreds of thousands of slaves were being traded and sold during the colonial period. (nationalgeographic.com) Many didn't even make it off the boat from numerous reasons including things from small pox disease to starvation. Some slaves had it worse than others on that initial ride over.












If you refused to eat or tried to rebel, you risked having your teeth smashed in and food forced down your throat, and that is just scratching the surface. (slaverebellion.org) Over the next few hundred years blacks brought over from Africa will endure more pain, suffering, discrimination, dehumanization, and sorrow than you could imagine. Well of course, unless you're black.

So how did these poor black people survive through the struggle? They found meaning in developing their culture. (ushistory.org) Slaves would sing to each other in the fields during the work day to communicate with one another and pass the time. They came up with their own dialects as to talk without being understood by their owners. They had little quality food to work with so they came up with their own recipes. Everything from R&B to their protective hairstyles, to their recipes, all are such beautiful products from such a disturbing past.