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The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), founded in 1929.The following website of the organization describes its history and purpose:https://lulac.org/about/history/Below is an abstract of the webpage worth reading:LULAC History - All for One and One for AllThe League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), founded in 1929, is the oldest and most widely respected Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States of America. LULAC was created at a time in our country’s history when Hispanics were denied basic civil and human rights, despite contributions to American society. The founders of LULAC created an organization that empowers its members to create and develop opportunities where they are needed most.In 1945, a California LULAC Council successfully sued to integrate the Orange County School System, which had been segregated on the grounds that Mexican children were “more poorly clothed and mentally inferior to white children.” Additionally, in 1954, LULAC brought another landmark case, Hernandez vs. the State of Texas, to protest the fact that a Mexican American had never been called to jury duty in the state of Texas. The Supreme Court ruled this exclusion unconstitutional.Since then, LULAC has fought for full access to the political process and equal educational opportunity for all Hispanics. LULAC’s continues to play an active role in these efforts. LULAC councils across the United States hold voter registration drives, citizenship awareness sessions, sponsor health fairs and tutorial programs, and raise scholarship money for the LULAC National Scholarship Fund. This fund, in conjunction with LNESC (LULAC National Educational Service Centers), has assisted almost 10 percent of the 1.1 million Hispanic students who have gone to college.LULAC Councils have also responded to an alarming increase in xenophobia and anti-Hispanic sentiment. They have held seminars and public symposiums on language and immigration issues. In addition, LULAC officers have used television and radio to protest against the “English Only” movement, which seeks to limit the public (and in some cases, private) use of minority languages.Below is an account of the struggles that LULAC and its members have had to endure in order to improve the status of employment, housing, health care, and education for all Hispanics in the United States of America.Reasons That Lead To The Formation of LULACWhen the United States of North America annexed a third of Mexico’s territory following the Mexican War, nearly 77,000 Mexicans became U.S. citizens. For generations, these citizens were to be plagued by prejudice that would result in overt acts of discrimination and segregation. This prejudice led to the curtailment of many civil rights. The sign, “No Mexicans Allowed” was found everywhere.In Texas, prejudice and acts of discrimination had reached such extreme proportions that Mexican Americans began organizing to defend themselves. There were three main organizations: The Order of the Sons of America with councils in Somerset, Pearsall, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio; The Knights of America in San Antonio; and The League of Latin American Citizens with councils in Harlingen, Brownsville, Laredo, Penitas, La Grulla, McAllen, and Gulf.The Unification EffortFirst LULAC Convention - Corpus Christi, TX - 5/17/1929Ben Garza, leader of Council #4 of the Order of the Sons of America in Corpus Christi, united all Mexican American organizations under one title, one set of objectives, and one constitution. The first of a series of attempts occurred on August 14th, 1927, when delegates from The Order of the Sons of America, The Knights of America, and other allied organizations traveled to Harlingen, to officially form The League of Latin American Citizens. The President General of The Order of the Sons of America invited the League of Latin American Citizens--then under the leadership of Attorney Alonso S. Perales of Harlingen--to unite with them in order to unify Mexican American organizations. The League of Latin American Citizens approved the idea and a resolution to bring about the merger was adopted.There were serious doubts regarding the merger due to differences between the leaders of The League of Latin American Citizens and the President General of The Order of the Sons of America. Thus, The Order of the Sons of America and The Knights of America decided to join together regardless of The League of Latin American Citizens’ actions. Council #4 of The Order of the Sons of America and The Knights of America considered the proposed merger for a year.During this time, Alonso S. Perales and Ben Garza were constantly discussing how to bring about the merger. However, the President General of The Order of the Sons of America never called a unification convention. This lead Council #4 of The Order of the Sons of America to withdraw on February 7, 1929. They voted to have a uniting convention on February 17, 1929, at the Obreros Hall, on the corner of Lipan and Carrizo streets in Corpus Christi.Delegates from Alice, Austin, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Encino, Harlingen, La Grulla, McAllen, Robstown, and San Antonio opened the unification convention. They elected Ben Garza as chairmen protem and M.C. Gonzalez as secretary.LULAC Outing - 4/21/1929The delicate task of uniting these groups was assigned to Juan Solis and Mauro Machado, members of The Knights of America, Alonso S. Perales and J.T. Canales, members of The League of Latin American Citizens, E.N. Marin, A. DeLuna and Fortunio Trevino, member of The Order of the Sons of America. Alonso S. Perales initially proposed the name “Latin American Citizens’ League.” In response, Mauro Machado suggested they use the word “United” as apropos for the merger and as a way of differentiating the title from “The League of Latin American Citizens”. Thus, Juan Solis motioned that the union be “United Latin American Citizens.” J.T. Canales friendly amended the motion so that the name read “League of United Latin American Citizens”. The amended motion was unanimously passed.The committee proceeded to adopt the motto proposed by J.T. Canales, “All for One and One for All”, to serve as a reminder of the difficulties of unification and as the basis for all future activities of LULAC.Temporary rules were drawn up until a constitutional convention could be held. A constitutional convention was to be held on 18, and 19 May 1929, in Corpus Christi, Texas, and an executive committee was established to administer LULAC until the convention. The executive committee included Ben Garza as chairman, M.C. Gonzalez as Secretary, J.T. Canales and J. Luz Saenz as committee members. On May 18, 1929, at the Allende Hall in Corpus Christi, Texas, Ben Garza called the first LULAC General Convention to order. The assembly promptly adopted a constitution proposed by J.T. Canales and based upon the one used by The Knights of America. Ben Garza was elected President General, M.C. Gonzalez was elected Vice President General, A. DeLuna was elected Secretary General, and Louis C. Wilmot of Corpus Christi, Texas, was elected Treasurer General. These officers guided a new organization that faced prejudice and skepticism.First LULAC Convention Invitation - May 1929Mexican Americans were not allowed to learn English. Thus, they were disenfranchised and unable to vote. Many were unable to pay voting taxes. Thus, their Anglo bosses paid this charge and told them who to vote for.Many Mexican American families worked in fields, farms, and ranches and their children never went to school. Many were denied jobs because they were perceived as lazy, poorly dressed, dirty, ill educated, and thought to be thieves.American children had to attend segregated schools known as “Mexican Schools.” In those days “Mexican Schools” were legal in the Southwest. These schools were staffed with the worst teachers and the buildings were in deplorable conditions.DiscriminationDiscrimination against Mexican Americans was rampant. During those years there were more Mexican Americans hung than the total number of blacks hung during the Civil War. A famous Anglo gunfighter was once asked how many men he had killed. He responded that each notch on the handles of his guns represented one kill and that he had twenty-seven notches, not counting Mexicans. Discrimination knew no age limits. In one incident a young Mexican American girl was eating a dry tortilla and choked to death because her peers were not allowed to get her a drink of water from a “whites only” water fountain. In another incident, LULAC members on a weekend recruitment journey stopped at a hamburger place. One of the men went to the takeout window and placed an order. When the food was ready, he was told that he had to go to the black section to eat his food. He refused, telling the food handler that he was Mexican and not black, and the food was taken away. In another instance, a LULAC member (who later became a LULAC President General) had to dress as a woman in order to get pass a sheriff with rifle in arm who had vowed to prevent LULAC from organizing in his town.This was the discrimination that led many Mexican Americans to build strong traditions of self-determination. In 1921, courageous men and women in Texas began organizing to ensure that juries reflected the composition of the population and filed suits to have Mexican Americans placed on jury rosters. In 1929, a number of Mexican rights organizations met in Corpus Christi, Texas, and merged into a single group.February 27, 1929This was not a day for a meeting. It was Sunday and a day of rest. The rain was filling the dirt streets. But there was an urgent task to be done; the muddy streets were of little concern to those men about to make history. It was a meeting that would merge three largest Mexican American organizations into one.The merger has been discussed in 1927 during an installation of officers of a newly formed Mexican American organization, “The League of Latin American Citizens”, founded in Harlingen, Texas, by Alonso S. Perales. Now on February 17, 1929 the merger was now about to take place in Corpus Christi, Texas.First LULAC Convention Preparations Article - 1929Delegates from three prestigious Mexican American organizations: The Knights of America, The Sons of America, and The League of Latin American Citizens, gathered on this rainy day to attempt to unify. Although many members were hesitant, the leaders of the organizations convinced the delegates of the necessity of a merger. A committee, with two delegates from each organization, was formed. This committee had the responsibility of coming up with rules and a name for the new organization.This was a delicate task, because each organization had a proud history, its own constitution, its own structure, and a strong leader. The Knights of America of San Antonio, the oldest of the three had done much for its community under the leadership of M.C. Gonzalez. The same held true for The Sons of America of Corpus Christi, the second oldest and under the leadership of Ben Garza. Nevertheless, The League of Latin America Citizens of the Texas Valley, although the youngest of the three, had been effective under the leadership of Alonso S. Perales and was growing at a much faster pace than the other two combined.After a four hour meeting, the committee decided to combine of the constitutions of the three merging organizations. The name of the new organization would be taken from the youngest of the three with the word “United” added to the name. Thus, “The League of United Latin American Citizens” was formed.The delegates were pleased with the calm leadership efforts of Ben Garza and elected him the first President General of LULAC. The delegates agreed to hold the first LULAC Convention on May 19, 1929 in Corpus Christi, Texas.First LULAC Convention ArticleOf course, the three merged organizations, which became LULAC were not the only Mexican American organization of that era. Many wanted to revolt and regain the territories that Mexico ceded to the United States of America after the Mexico-Texas War. Others wanted to engage in widespread civil disobedience against local authorities. There were many Mexican Americans that considered LULAC members as a bunch of “vendidos.” They could not understand why LULAC members would embrace an Anglo society that had been so cruel to Mexican Americans. However, the founders of LULAC had seen many Mexican American organizations flourish and disappear within a couple of years, without accomplishments. LULAC founders were determined not to let this occur to LULAC. Therefore, the founders of LULAC forewant many of their convictions in order to avoid suspicions of un-American activities and serve as a safe haven for its members. Many of the official rites that LULAC adopted had never be adopted by any other Mexican American organization. LULAC adopted the American Flag as its official flag, America the Beautiful as its official song, and The George Washington Prayer as its official prayer. Also, LULAC adopted the Robert Rules of Order as its governing rules during meetings and conventions.These founders envisioned LULAC as an organization that would be strongly accepted by Mexican Americans throughout Texas. In this regard they were correct. However, they were not prepared for the rapid growth of Mexican Americans in the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and California, all within the first three years of LULAC’s founding. LULAC’s founders could never have imagined that LULAC would later serve 48 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, South America, and the armed service base in Heidelburg, West Germany. Nevertheless, the guiding philosophies of the League of United Latin American Citizens supported the inclusion of all those of Hispanic origin and not just Mexican Americans.The Women of LULACLULAC was one of the first national organizations to place emphasis on the role of women. Its first Council #9 was created on February 22, 1934, in El Paso, Texas. By 1938, the league had created the first women’s national office in Mrs. Ester Machuca as Ladies Organizer General.Women continued to serve fundamental roles within LULAC. In 1981, the League elected its first National Vice-President for Women. State coordinators for women carry out local programs for women. A national conference “Adelante Mujer Hispana” and two-day conferences on education and employment have been some of the League’s most successful programs.Women of LULAC: A History of AccomplishmentsWomen of LULAC: A History of AccomplishmentsLULAC was one of the first national organizations to place emphasis on the role of women. Its first council #9 was created on February 22, 1934, in El Paso, Texas. By 1938, the league had created the first women's national office in Mrs. Ester Machuca as Ladies Organizer General.National Past PresidentsThe founding of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) marked an important moment in the history of Hispanic people in the United States. It signaled the end of one era and the beginning of another. It embodied the will of a people to overcome inequality, discrimination and injustice, to claim their rights as U. S. citizens, and to access the American dream.LULAC's MilestonesWhat follows are some of the milestones accomplished by LULAC in its history. These milestones offered many difficult struggles, at times - life threatening, that LULAC and its members endured to get equality in justice, employment, housing, health care, and education for all Hispanics.LULAC History BookAll For One, One For All -- A Celebration of 75 Years of the League of United Latin American Citizens. (PDF format)50th anniversary of John Kennedy’s visit with LULAC in 1963On November 21, 1963, President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and Texas Governor John B. Connally, Jr. made an appearance at the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 60's Gala held at the Rice Hotel in Houston Texas....LULAC Archives at The University of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is the designated repository for the records of the League of United Latin American Citizens. LULAC was formed in 1929 by the merger of three Mexican American civic organizations in Texas: Order Sons of America, Order Knights of America and the League of United Latin American Citizens.As the oldest active organization of Hispanic Americans, LULAC is committed to the advancement of the Latino community in the United States. The LULAC Archives record the organization's profound achievements in many areas, especially social and educational advancement.

You have misunderstood what Afrocentrism is all about.Not all black men were kings. But there were kings in Africa, nonetheless.There are two types of Afrocentrism (Afrocentricity): Gloriana and proletariana.A concentration on slavery and history of the black struggle has a vital role in that but it should not be exclusive. It may produce angry and gallant freedom fighters but not necessarily constructive builders. Beyond the horror and degradation of the past, there is the need to feel the pride and power of past achievements. Both the light and the dark are necessary. It is not a matter of feeling good but feeling whole through the recovery of the half buried heart of our history— Ivan Van SertimaAfricanity RedefinedGloriana Afrocentricity, which emphasizes the great and proud accomplishments of people of African ancestry. Africa at its most complex. Africa on a grand scale. The castle builders, those who built the walls of Zimbabwe and the castles of Gondar or the sunken churches of Lalibala. Some will add those who built the pyramids of Egypt.Proletariana Afrocentricity which emphasizes the sweat of Africa’s brow, the captured African as a co-builder of modern civilization. The enslaved as creator, the slave as innovator. Slave labor building or helping to build the Industrial Revolution in the Western world. Slave labor, for better or worse, helping to fuel capitalist transformation in the northern hemisphere. The colonized peoples, both as victims and as builders of the industrialized modern world. The resources of Africa, the minerals of Africa, extracted from beneath our feet, have been used for factories which have transformed the nature of the twentieth century. Without those minerals, this century would have been vastly different.……..“We were kings and queens”. As someone said : When we bring together the history of Black people, we see that that history has much to be proud of. It is not just a history of being a slave.Great Kings and Queens of AfricaJul 23, 2012Monarchies in Africa - WikipediaTen of Africa’s Most Powerful Kings, Queens, Warriors and LegendsAmazon.com: 100 Greatest African Kings And Queens ( Volume One ) (Real African Writers Series Book 8) eBook: Commey, Pusch Komiete: Kindle Store100 Great African Kings and Queenshttps://www.amazon.in/glory-African-Kings-Queens-Contesting-ebook/dp/B08163X9YC….Even on the slave plantation and mines, there were kings and queens.There were also a large number of “Maroon kingdoms” in the Americas.King Amador of Sao Tome and PrincipeRei Amador: General Captain of WarRei Amador, known as also “General Captain of War” and “King Amador” is a major figure in the history of Sao Tome and Principe, and the leader of the famous Maafa (Atlantic slavery) Revolution of 1595 that destroyed more than 70 sugarcane mills.In São Tomé e Príncipe, he is seen as a king who mobilized other Afrikans to escape their enslavement and help create their own free kingdom. It is said that on July 9 1595, Amador raised a flag in front of the colonial invaders and proclaimed himself the King of São Tomé e Príncipe, becoming known as King Amador – the liberator of all Afrikan people. (Another date given is July 28, 1595).King Amador attacked the city of St. Thomas with 5000 men, about half of the entire oppressed (enslaved) population of the island. The uprising began with the killing of the European oppressors during a Mass at Trinity Church. It is said that King Amador drank the wine in the cup the priest had on the altar to justify the new power and freedom from oppression.The 4th of January is a national day in São Tomé e Príncipe, a day to commemorate King Amador but also the Maafa Revolt against the Portuguese enslavement system. Today, Rei Amador is actively remembered and commemorated on the islands as a historical figure of Afrikan self-determination and freedom.A statue of King Amador was inaugurated in 2004 by the then General Secretary of the United Nations, Kofi Annan.In the Americas, there were black kings among rebellious maroons who escaped slavery in order to form independent communities. Those black Kings were all of royal blood and lineage before they arrived in the Americas in shackles and on slaveships.Kongo Kings of Palmares, particularly Ganga Zumba;King Bayano in Panama;King Yanga in Mexico;King Miguel in Venezuela;King Benkos in Columbia;King Takyi in Jamaica;Queen Nanny in Jamaica.List of rulers of Kongo - WikipediaBrazilian branch of PalmaresThe Quilombo dos Palmares was a Maroon Kingdom formed in the Captaincy of Pernambuco in what is now Northeast Brazil sometime around 1605 by princes and nobles from the Kingdom of Kongo.They had been captured during the Battle of Mbwila, and were subsequently transported there as slaves. After having escaped slavery, they retained their royal and noble titles. The members of this branch probably belonged to the House of Awenekongo of the Nlaza kanda of Antonio I.Ganga Zumba, King (ruled 1630–1678). A son of Princess Aqualtune, daughter of an unidentified king of Kongo. She was present at the Battle of Mbwila.Ganga Zona, King (ruled 1678–1678). A brother of Ganga Zumba.Zumbi, also known as Francisco, King (ruled 1678–1695). A nephew of Ganga Zumba, son of his sister Princess Sabina. Today, a National Hero in Brazil.Camuanga, King (ruled 1695–?). A son of Zumbi and the last known member of the lineage in the Americas.King Bayano: Cimarron Leader of PanamaTowards the end of his life in Panama, King Bayano had an active truce with the colony’s governor Pedro de Ursua. This truce stated that his forces wouldn’t be targeted if they didn’t take in any more slaves—a common treaty with rebels who establish their own community such as the Maroons. He would eventually make it Spain where he would die living off his looted wealth.Bayano - WikipediaKing Bayano's forces numbered between four and twelve hundred Cimarrons, depending upon different sources, and set up a palenque known as Ronconcholon near modern-day Chepo River, also known as Rio Bayano.They fought their guerrilla war for over five years while building their community. However, the most important primary source, written in 1581 by Pedro de Aguado, devotes space to their religious life, and describes the activities of a "bishop" who guided the community in prayer, baptized them, and delivered sermons, in a manner that Aguado believed to be essentially Christian.Bayano gained truces with Panama's colonial governor, Pedro de Ursúa, but Ursúa subsequently captured the guerrilla leader and sent him to Peru and then to Spain, where he died.Bayano's revolt coincided with that of King Miguel de Buría (1551/52-1553/55) and was followed by Luis de Mozambique (1579-1582) and dozens more during the following century.Bayano's name has become immortal in the Panamanian consciousness through the naming of a major river, a lake, a valley, a dam, and several companies after him.Miguel de Buría - WikipediaMiguel I of Buría (Spanish: Miguel de Buría; c. 1510 – c. 1555), also known as King Miguel (Spanish: Rey Miguel), Miguel the Black (Spanish: El Negro Miguel) and Miguel Guacamaya, was a former slave from San Juan, Puerto Rico]who reigned as the King of Buría in the modern-day state of Lara, Venezuela. His incumbency began in 1552 and lasted until some point between 1553 and 1555.He obtained his political influence and the control of the region adjacent to the Buría River after leading the first African rebellion in the country's history.During this insurrection he took over the Minas de San Felipe de Buría in modern-day Simón Planas Municipality, gold mines established within the area with the consent of the Spanish Crown to pull out the ore that was discovered in the river, a task that heavily depended on slave work.With his following rearranged to form an army, Miguel I established his royal lineage with his wife Guiomar as queen and their son as prince. His birth and upbringing in San Juan made him the first black king born in the Americas,also influencing him to use the European format for his kingdom.In his settlement, Miguel I also created his own church, naming one of the former slaves bishop. Officers were assigned to the royal household.Benkos Biohó - WikipediaBenkos Biohó (late 16th century — 1621), also known as Domingo Biohó, was born into a royal family that ruled Bioho one of the Bissagos Islands off the coast of what is today Guinea-Bissau.He was seized by the Portuguese slave trader, Pedro Gomes Reinel, sold to businessman Juan Palacios, and later, after transportation to what is now Colombia in South America, sold again to the Spaniard Alonso del Campo in 1596, in Cartagena de Indias. He established the maroon community of San Basilio de Palenquesometime in the 16th century. He was betrayed and hungby the governor of Cartagena in 1621.The former African king escaped from the slave port of Cartagena with ten others and founded San Basilio de Palenque, then known as the "village of the maroons". In 1713 it became the first free village in the Americas by decree from the King of Spain, when he gave up sending his troops on futile missions to attack their fortified mountain hideaway.Colombian History - MimiTVA on….Before John Brown raided Harpers Ferry, Before Harriett wend Underground, Before the Maroons freed themselves into the mountains of Jamaica, before all of that Benkos Bioho became the King of Arcabuco, the free community in San Basilio de Palenque was formed. It’s been a free community with it’s own language, leadership, education system and security since the early 1600’sThe Colonial Betrayal That Haunts Colombian PeaceBenkos Biohó was born into a royal family that ruled islands off the coast of what is now Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. He was a prince destined to become king until Portuguese slave traders pillaged the archipelago, enslaved him and his people and shipped them to the Spanish province of Cartagena in South America. He was around 25 years old at the time of his capture. As a slave in Cartagena, the young prince inspired a rebellion among other Africanshttps://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf...Slavery, Rebellion, and Revolution in the Americas: A Historiographical Scenario on the Theses of Genovese and Others Author(s): A. J. Williams-MyersDuring the 17th century, in 1608 and 1618, in the Orizaba zone of Vera Cruz, a frustrated Don Luis de Velasco, Spanish viceroy, fought a series of guerrilla wars with Orizaba cimarrones under the leadership of their king, Yanga, who was of royal blood and referred to by the Spanish Order of Franciscans as "un hombre razon." The outcome was the recognition of several concessions put forth by Yanga, one in particular being the estab- lishment of the cimarron "pueblo of San Lorenzo de Negros"Afro-Mexico's first liberator, YangaEl Yanga, The Gaspar Yanga StatueThis statue was created in honor of Gaspar Yanga. According to local legends, Gaspar Yanga was a member of the royal family in Gabon prior to being kidnapped and enslaved. Gaspar Yanga or Yanga as he is affectionately called is widely considered to have established one of the first free black settlements in North or South America.The story of Takyi, the Ghanaian king who led a slave rebellion in Jamaica in 1760 - Face2Face AfricaBefore finding himself as a slave, working hours on end and living in hard conditions on the Frontier plantation in Jamaica, Takyi was a Fanti king from Gold Coast, now modern Ghana.In 1759, after years of toiling and suffering on the plantations, Takyi and his allies, Yaw, Sobadu and Kwarteng, who were also of Ghanaian descent, escaped into a cave far beyond their plantations to plan a rebellionMeet Nanny, the Ashanti woman from Ghana who ended up as freedom fighter and hero in Jamaica - Face2Face AfricaQueen Nanny, born in Ghana in western Africa, to the Ashanti tribe, was brought to Jamaica as a slave and ended up being a Maroon leader in Jamaica during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.Nanny, her four brothers, and several others were sold into slavery and later escaped from their plantations into the mountains and jungles of Jamaica.Nanny eventually founded a village in the Blue Mountains, on the Eastern side of Jamaica, which became known as Nanny Town

There are quite a few examples of people who were born slaves and later became kings and even emperors.King Henry Christophe of Haitihttps://biography.yourdictionary.com/henri-christopheHenri Christophe (1767-1820) was a Haitian patriot and king. Though he is mostly remembered for the Citadelle, the fortress he built, equally impressive was his organizational genius, which created a prosperous and solvent Haiti.Born a slave, Henri Christophe originally came from the British island of St. Christopher (St. Kitts), from which he took his name. He bought his freedom in Saint Domingue and later added the English name of Henry (French, Henri) as a token of his admiration of England.Christophe gained an early reputation as an independence fighter under Toussaint L'Ouverture in the 1791 antislavery rebellion. When French troops invaded Haiti in 1802 to reassert France's right to the former colony, Christophe was commanding Haitian troops in Cap-Français (modern Cap-Haitien). After Toussaint's capture by the French, Christophe served as a general under Haiti's military ruler, Jean Jacques Dessalines.King Amador of Sao Tome and PrincipeRei Amador: General Captain of WarRei Amador, known as also “General Captain of War” and “King Amador” is a major figure in the history of Sao Tome and Principe, and the leader of the famous Maafa (Atlantic slavery) Revolution of 1595 that destroyed more than 70 sugarcane mills.In São Tomé e Príncipe, he is seen as a king who mobilized other Afrikans to escape their enslavement and help create their own free kingdom. It is said that on July 9 1595, Amador raised a flag in front of the colonial invaders and proclaimed himself the King of São Tomé e Príncipe, becoming known as King Amador – the liberator of all Afrikan people. (Another date given is July 28, 1595).King Amador attacked the city of St. Thomas with 5000 men, about half of the entire oppressed (enslaved) population of the island. The uprising began with the killing of the European oppressors during a Mass at Trinity Church. It is said that King Amador drank the wine in the cup the priest had on the altar to justify the new power and freedom from oppression.The 4th of January is a national day in São Tomé e Príncipe, a day to commemorate King Amador but also the Maafa Revolt against the Portuguese enslavement system. Today, Rei Amador is actively remembered and commemorated on the islands as a historical figure of Afrikan self-determination and freedom.A statue of King Amador was inaugurated in 2004 by the then General Secretary of the United Nations, Kofi Annan.From slave to emperor - 10 remarkable rises to power from humble beginningsExceptionally capable or exceptionally lucky, here are 10 individuals who broke through the shackles of slavery and serfdom to reach the throne of kingdoms and empires.Diocletian (244 – 311 AD) – from slave to emperorBasil I (811 – 886) – from slave to emperorQutb-al-din Aybak (1150 – 1210) – from slave to kingHenri Christophe (1767 – 1820) – from slave to kingIn the Americas, there were black kings among rebellious maroons who escaped slavery in order to form independent communities. Those black Kings were all of royal blood and lineage before they arrived in the Americas in shackles and on slaveships.Kongo Kings of Palmares, particularly Ganga ZumbaKing Bayano in PanamaKing Yanga in MexicoKing Miguel in VenezuelaKing Benkos in ColumbiaKing Takyi in JamaicaQueen Nanny in Jamaica.List of rulers of Kongo - WikipediaBrazilian branch of Palmares[edit]The Quilombo dos Palmares was a Maroon Kingdom formed in the Captaincy of Pernambuco in what is now Northeast Brazil sometime around 1605 by princes and nobles from the Kingdom of Kongo.They had been captured during the Battle of Mbwila, and were subsequently transported there as slaves. After having escaped slavery, they retained their royal and noble titles. The members of this branch probably belonged to the House of Awenekongo of the Nlaza kanda of Antonio I.Ganga Zumba, King (ruled 1630–1678). A son of Princess Aqualtune, daughter of an unidentified king of Kongo. She was present at the Battle of Mbwila.Ganga Zona, King (ruled 1678–1678). A brother of Ganga Zumba.Zumbi, also known as Francisco, King (ruled 1678–1695). A nephew of Ganga Zumba, son of his sister Princess Sabina. Today, a National Hero in Brazil.Camuanga, King (ruled 1695–?). A son of Zumbi and the last known member of the lineage in the Americas.King Bayano: Cimarron Leader of PanamaTowards the end of his life in Panama, King Bayano had an active truce with the colony’s governor Pedro de Ursua. This truce stated that his forces wouldn’t be targeted if they didn’t take in any more slaves—a common treaty with rebels who establish their own community such as the Maroons. He would eventually make it Spain where he would die living off his looted wealth.Bayano - WikipediaKing Bayano's forces numbered between four and twelve hundred Cimarrons, depending upon different sources, and set up a palenque known as Ronconcholon near modern-day Chepo River, also known as Rio Bayano.They fought their guerrilla war for over five years while building their community. However, the most important primary source, written in 1581 by Pedro de Aguado, devotes space to their religious life, and describes the activities of a "bishop" who guided the community in prayer, baptized them, and delivered sermons, in a manner that Aguado believed to be essentially Christian.Bayano gained truces with Panama's colonial governor, Pedro de Ursúa, but Ursúa subsequently captured the guerrilla leader and sent him to Peru and then to Spain, where he died.Bayano's revolt coincided with that of King Miguel de Buría (1551/52-1553/55) and was followed by Luis de Mozambique (1579-1582) and dozens more during the following century.Bayano's name has become immortal in the Panamanian consciousness through the naming of a major river, a lake, a valley, a dam, and several companies after him.Miguel de Buría - WikipediaMiguel I of Buría (Spanish: Miguel de Buría; c. 1510 – c. 1555), also known as King Miguel (Spanish: Rey Miguel), Miguel the Black (Spanish: El Negro Miguel) and Miguel Guacamaya, was a former slave from San Juan, Puerto Rico]who reigned as the King of Buría in the modern-day state of Lara, Venezuela. His incumbency began in 1552 and lasted until some point between 1553 and 1555.He obtained his political influence and the control of the region adjacent to the Buría River after leading the first African rebellion in the country's history.During this insurrection he took over the Minas de San Felipe de Buría in modern-day Simón Planas Municipality, gold mines established within the area with the consent of the Spanish Crown to pull out the ore that was discovered in the river, a task that heavily depended on slave work.With his following rearranged to form an army, Miguel I established his royal lineage with his wife Guiomar as queen and their son as prince. His birth and upbringing in San Juan made him the first black king born in the Americas,also influencing him to use the European format for his kingdom.In his settlement, Miguel I also created his own church, naming one of the former slaves bishop. Officers were assigned to the royal household.Benkos Biohó - WikipediaBenkos Biohó (late 16th century — 1621), also known as Domingo Biohó, was born into a royal family that ruled Bioho one of the Bissagos Islands off the coast of what is today Guinea-Bissau.He was seized by the Portuguese slave trader, Pedro Gomes Reinel, sold to businessman Juan Palacios, and later, after transportation to what is now Colombia in South America, sold again to the Spaniard Alonso del Campo in 1596, in Cartagena de Indias. He established the maroon community of San Basilio de Palenquesometime in the 16th century. He was betrayed and hungby the governor of Cartagena in 1621.The former African king escaped from the slave port of Cartagena with ten others and founded San Basilio de Palenque, then known as the "village of the maroons". In 1713 it became the first free village in the Americas by decree from the King of Spain, when he gave up sending his troops on futile missions to attack their fortified mountain hideaway.Colombian History - MimiTVA on….Before John Brown raided Harpers Ferry, Before Harriett wend Underground, Before the Maroons freed themselves into the mountains of Jamaica, before all of that Benkos Bioho became the King of Arcabuco, the free community in San Basilio de Palenque was formed. It’s been a free community with it’s own language, leadership, education system and security since the early 1600’sThe Colonial Betrayal That Haunts Colombian PeaceBenkos Biohó was born into a royal family that ruled islands off the coast of what is now Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. He was a prince destined to become king until Portuguese slave traders pillaged the archipelago, enslaved him and his people and shipped them to the Spanish province of Cartagena in South America. He was around 25 years old at the time of his capture. As a slave in Cartagena, the young prince inspired a rebellion among other Africanshttps://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf...Slavery, Rebellion, and Revolution in the Americas: A Historiographical Scenario on the Theses of Genovese and Others Author(s): A. J. Williams-MyersDuring the 17th century, in 1608 and 1618, in the Orizaba zone of Vera Cruz, a frustrated Don Luis de Velasco, Spanish viceroy, fought a series of guerrilla wars with Orizaba cimarrones under the leadership of their king, Yanga, who was of royal blood and referred to by the Spanish Order of Franciscans as "un hombre razon." The outcome was the recognition of several concessions put forth by Yanga, one in particular being the estab- lishment of the cimarron "pueblo of San Lorenzo de Negros"Afro-Mexico's first liberator, YangaEl Yanga, The Gaspar Yanga StatueThis statue was created in honor of Gaspar Yanga. According to local legends, Gaspar Yanga was a member of the royal family in Gabon prior to being kidnapped and enslaved. Gaspar Yanga or Yanga as he is affectionately called is widely considered to have established one of the first free black settlements in North or South America.The story of Takyi, the Ghanaian king who led a slave rebellion in Jamaica in 1760 - Face2Face AfricaBefore finding himself as a slave, working hours on end and living in hard conditions on the Frontier plantation in Jamaica, Takyi was a Fanti king from Gold Coast, now modern Ghana.In 1759, after years of toiling and suffering on the plantations, Takyi and his allies, Yaw, Sobadu and Kwarteng, who were also of Ghanaian descent, escaped into a cave far beyond their plantations to plan a rebellionMeet Nanny, the Ashanti woman from Ghana who ended up as freedom fighter and hero in Jamaica - Face2Face AfricaQueen Nanny, born in Ghana in western Africa, to the Ashanti tribe, was brought to Jamaica as a slave and ended up being a Maroon leader in Jamaica during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.Nanny, her four brothers, and several others were sold into slavery and later escaped from their plantations into the mountains and jungles of Jamaica.Nanny eventually founded a village in the Blue Mountains, on the Eastern side of Jamaica, which became known as Nanny Town