The Transatlantic Slave Trade - by Benjamin Chavis & Stacy Brown (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Authors affirm that the Transatlantic Slave Trade was the longest-running genocidal crime against humanity in world history, causing the death, enslavement, and suffering of approximately 25 million African people for centuries in the Western Hemisphere, and support the United Nation's Report citing concrete steps to address the continued harm suffered by people of African descent"--

Book Synopsis

"Dr. Chavis shows us that the fight against the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade is not just about seeking justice for past wrongs but about dismantling the present systems of oppression that have evolved from it." - From the Foreword by CHUCK D

The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Overcoming the 500-Year Legacy is a profound exploration of one of humanity's darkest chapters. Co-authored by National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA) Senior National Correspondent Stacy M. Brown and renowned historian Dr. Benjamin Chavis, this book delves into the enduring impacts and legacies of the transatlantic slave trade from 1500 to 2024.

The transatlantic slave trade is a brutal scar on the face of humanity, a monstrous crime that tore millions of Africans from their homeland, dehumanized them, and built the so-called American dream on their blood, sweat, and tears. This isn't just history--it's the very foundation of the systemic racism that still plagues America today. To understand the real roots of the struggle, one must return to where it all began. And that's precisely what this book does--unflinchingly and unapologetically.

Review Quotes

"We need this book because too many still don't get it. Too many still turn a blind eye to the realities of our past and present. Too many still refuse to connect the dots between slavery and today's racial injustices. This book is a wake-up call, a demand for awareness, and a call to action. It's about honoring the legacy of our ancestors by continuing their fight for true freedom and equality." --From the Foreword by Chuck D of Public Enemy

"This book co-authored by Dr. Ben Chavis, with his distinguished civil rights legacy, provides us with a unique perspective on how slavery's legacy still affects us today." --NBA Legend Isiah Thomas

"Sadly, the majority of our civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr., have passed on. Those remaining, such as Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, who were in the eye of the storm alongside Dr. King, must not only continue the fight, but have a responsibility to tell our story so our children, grandchildren, and generations to come never forget who we are and all we have been through. Dr. Ben Chavis owes it to us as Black people, but more importantly to future generations, for they must be equipped with nothing but the truth if they are to finish righting the wrong that was started over 400 years ago. We as elders must pave the way for them. This book will pave many miles toward that desired destination. Failure is not an option. Victory is a MUST!" --Arikana Chihombori-Quao, African Union Ambassador to the United States of America

"An overview focusing on slavery's grim legacy. Activist Chavis and journalist Brown trace the course of African slavery from its beginning in the 16th century, recounting its genocidal cruelty but emphasizing that emancipation did not eliminate institutional racism, economic and social exploitation of non-whites, or post-colonial oppression of Africa and its people. Sixteen chapters summarize this history but concentrate on its consequences. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery except as punishment for crime; the authors point out that from post-Civil War Black Codes to mass incarceration today, prison has been a vehicle for African American oppression. Redlining (banks denying loans to residents of low-income neighborhoods) is illegal, but a Black family looking to buy a house rarely has an easy time, they note. Urban renewal lost its shine when it became clear that it destroyed Black neighborhoods, but gentrification has had its own destructive impact. The authors acknowledge that progress has been made since the 1960s but contend that at the current rate it will take 500 years to close the economic gap. A long final section makes the case that reparations are due for the massive wealth that centuries of unpaid labor have delivered to whites and their businesses, even those not directly involved. Readers may be surprised when the authors recount examples of local governments approving restitution and even making modest payments, although these have been confined to cities and blue states; Congress has no current plans to get involved. It's clear that the authors do not expect to win over skeptics but to inspire the like-minded, which their blistering recounting of centuries of injustices may well do. Fact-filled and unsettling." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Benjamin Franklin Chavis Jr. is an activist, author, journalist, and the current president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. In 1993, the national board of directors of the NAACP elected Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr as the executive director and CEO of America's oldest civil rights organization. In his youth, Chavis was a youth coordinator and SCLC assistant to Martin Luther King Jr. At the age of 23, he rose to in 1971 as the leader of the Wilmington Ten in North Carolina, civil rights activists who were unjustly convicted of committing arson.

Stacy M. Brown is a senior writer for The Washington Informer and the senior national correspondent for the Black Press of America. Stacy has more than 25 years of journalism experience and has authored two major biographies, including "Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother."

Chuck D is considered one of the most influential lyricists in contemporary music. Both as a solo artist and as the leader of the ground-breaking hip hop group Public Enemy (which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013), he helped pave the way for political, social, and culturally conscious hip hop. Public Enemy's albums remain among the most critically acclaimed works in the genre, including It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Fear of a Black Planet.
A visionary in digital entertainment, Chuck D helped lead the filesharing movement, launched one of the first online entertainment websites, Rapstation.com, and digital-only record labels, the SpitSlam Record Label Group and Public Enemy were the second act to ever release an album in MP3 format. He is on the road three weeks out of each month touring with Public Enemy and his supergroup Prophets of Rage or speaking at tech and music conferences and colleges, and splits his days off between Long Island, Atlanta, and Southern California.