Anthony Johnson - African American Trailblazers

The African American Trailblazers honors the African American contribution to the American story and the significant accomplishments of twelve (12) heroic African Americans in areas such as the arts, sciences, politics, education, and business.

The African American Trailblazers was conceived as part of Americas 400th anniversary celebration, the documentary and exhibition represent the collaborative effort of several community, regional government, and corporate partners to highlight the historic contributions of African Americans in the Colonial Period, Revolutionary War, Civil War, Reconstruction, and 20th Century that positively changed the Commonwealth, our country, and the world.

The documentary vignettes were directed by Emmy Award winner producer Eric A. Futterman and tell the stories of 12 historic African American Trailblazers and describe other notable achievements since the first Africans arrived in Jamestown in 1619. It features re-enactments, music, historical photos, paintings and interviews with historical experts and African American Trailblazer award recipients Dr. Maya Angelou, Mr. Raymond Boone, Dr. Wyatt T. Walker and others.

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Education

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• Anthony Johnson

[10000Gods]

I am taking american history. I need to know the significance of Anthony Johnson.



[Quantumgeometer]

@bobofed1 ... What I am saying is that 400 years ago what we call "pan Africanism" did not exist. People from Angola did not see themselves as being the same as people from Togo.

For that matter no race had color based solidarity. English and Spanish and French killed eachother with abandon. The Iroquois would attack the Powhatan even as the Powhatan were struggling with the English. It was all more complex than we are generally told.

[bobofed1]

Basically what your saying is that their is no racial solidarity within the community of africans worldwide for repartriation. i agree with that

[Quantumgeometer]

@bobofed1

It's not even that. His time is so removed from ours it's hard to imagine. To him being from Angola, that John Casor from, say, Nigeria would not have been any kind of country man to him. The idea of a pan African "black" identity did not exist.

In his time just a few miles away fellow Indians were attacking the Powhatan, no racial solidarity there.

In his time across the sea Cromwell beheaded the king of England and persecuted the English, no racial solidarity there.

[bobofed1]

Im a black man and their will not be any reparation. This is all you need to look at to understand why. I dnt even mind. The whole crab in a barrel scenario. The rappers should rap about that blacks keeping blacks down

[BrendaQG]

@KushaDwipa Thankyou for that. 

[KushaDwipa]

Actually there were thousands of African American i.e. free colored plantation owners throughout the Carolinas Louisiana and Virginia and in Maryland and Virginia so you would surely be in fellowship with millions of other black people here in America. And yes, the reparations issue definitely becomes problematic when looked at in this light.. A book called, Black Slave Masters of South Carolina documents the hundreds of individuals that owned plantations with slaves in that state alone.

[BrendaQG]

@shifragri Comming 30-50 years or so latter was all the difference between being a slave and being enslaved.

Look at it this way. If you tell people about your ancestry you will experience fellowship with millions of African Americans.

While if I tell people about my ancestry, rife with more than one line of colored slave owners what'll I get? Specifically when I tell people about Mr. Johnson here they don't believe any of it. It sure makes reparations look like a different question.

[shifragri]

@BrendaQG Thanks so much for replying back. I do recall reading about how he "deeded" a large portion of his land over to some white man in Virginia and than moved to Maryland. I also read that a grandson bought or leased a farm in Maryland and named it Angola.

I'm also aware of the Black Laws that Virginia passed. My family roots date to 1710, when 2 of my Igbo ancestors were disembarked from a slave ship named "Prosperous" (can you believe the twisted irony).

[BrendaQG]

@shifragri His family did not die out, not at all. They were chased out of Virginia and into Maryland. In Maryland a free black could own property etc. Virginia ceased their lands in about 1680-1690 ish.

I used to feel a sort of shame about it... then I realized he was just a man of his times. In his time, in his place there was not a "black" identity. If some Africans not of his nation showed up they were no different to him than white people or Indians. The white/black ID came latter.