Everyone knows the enslavement of Africans as it was practiced in the United States ended with the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865. Among the remaining mysteries for the inheritors of that peculiar historical legacy is information regarding the identities and daily lives of African Americans who endured slavery in such urban environments as Savannah, Georgia. My article, “A Legacy Less Traveled,” in the May 10, 2006, issue of CONNECT SAVANNAH (at http://www.connectsavannah.com/show_article.php?article_id=645) introduces readers to Dr. Deborah L. Mack, as she helps Savannah solve the mysteries of its past via a reinterpretation of its rich Africana-influenced history. The article itself is an historical document as it features the first journalism photographs by artist Luther E. Vann.

Considering that the mysteries in question involve a city––my hometown––which even in the 1800s had a 50 percent black population (today it’s closer to 60 percent), composed of both free and enslaved African Americans, this new investigation into its past promises to yield some fascinating results. Please join me by clicking on the following link as Savannah embarks on a new era in its already fantastic culture and history: http://www.connectsavannah.com/show_article.php?article_id=645 .

By Aberjhani