The national theme of Black History Month for 2019 is Black Migrations. We will take a look at the different geographic movements of black people all over the world. Black people moved for many different reasons. When they moved, they brought their cultures, talents and ideas to the places they moved to. Each week, pay attention to the announcements and come to The Bear Truth to learn about a few of the important Black Migrations that took place in different parts of the world. You will be able to win prizes at the Black History Month Program which will be held at 6:30pm on February 22 in the WSHS Auditorium.

The Kingdoms of Nubia

Of course, we know that Blacks in America and the Caribbean migrated from Africa through the slave trade. However, there were many other movements within Africa and outside Africa. We will begin with the migration that led to the world’s greatest civilization. It is a widely accepted historical fact that the African empire we call Egypt is the first highly advanced civilization. We all learned of the mysteries and legends of Egypt, with its pharaohs, mummies and pyramids. Yet, there were other great empires rising in Africa at the same time, the Kerma Kingdom and Kingdom of Kush. These kingdoms were related to Egypt and probably came from the same people and culture. Nubia, the land of gold, was the source of all these empires. This is the region that runs along the Nile River, connecting tropical Africa to the sea, by way of the Sahara. Ideas, culture, religious practices and customs flowed with the Nile river, from south to north. The source of Kerma and Kush is the same source of Egypt. The Kerma Culture began in what is now Sudan about 5500 years ago, developing an extensive empire. It is believed that the Kushite empire evolved from the Kerma Culture. The Kingdom of Kush grew and developed alongside Egypt, even rivaling Egypt at different periods. Kushite kings took control of Egypt during what is known as the 25th dynasty in 750 BC. Their pyramids, temples and other artifacts reveal much about the ancient world.

Reprinted courtesy of The Sankofa Project.