On October 10th, we in the Black community, celebrate Dr. Ivan Van Sertima

[Troy]

On October 10th, we in the Black community, celebrate Dr. Ivan Van Sertima. His master work, THEY CAME BEFORE COLUMBUS, is required reading in our community. It should be read by all Americans.

Ivan Van Sertima builds a pyramid of evidence to support his claim of an African presence in the New World centuries before Columbus. Combining impressive scholarship with a novelist s gift for storytelling, Van Sertima re-creates some of the most powerful scenes of human history: the launching of the great ships of Mali in 1310 (two hundred master boats and two hundred supply boats), the sea expedition of the Mandingo king in 1311, and many others. In They Came Before Columbus, we see clearly the unmistakable face and handprint of black Africans in pre-Columbian America, and their overwhelming impact on the civilizations they encountered.