The Songhai Empire, the last of West Africa’s pre-colonial empires, emerged in Gao and expanded across the region. Under Sunni Ali Ber and Askia Muhammad Toure, it grew through conquest and trade. However, a civil war led to Moroccan conquest in 1591. Although the Moroccans withdrew in 1661, the empire could not be reestablished and fell to French colonial forces in 1901. Continue reading revisit: SONGHAI EMPIRE (CA. 1375-1591)
Frazier Baker, the first African American postmaster of Lake City, South Carolina, faced violent opposition and racial hostility from white residents. Despite unfounded accusations of incompetence, Baker’s efforts to protect his family and fulfill his duties were met with tragedy as he and his young daughter were killed in a home set ablaze by a white mob. The perpetrators escaped justice, prompting Baker’s widow to relocate, only to face further hardships, including the loss of several children to illness. Continue reading Revisit: LYNCHING OF JULIA AND FRAZIER BAKER (1898)
Black Art Story 