From the posts below you can probably tell how obsessed i am with the African diaspora. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a central place to study the whole phenomenon. For instance, sub-Saharan blacks have been in Europe since the 11th and 12th century, especially in Spain and italy, primarily through Saharan slave trade. It is from this stock that St. Benedict the Black hails. That story has not been fully told. I was once at a history lecture given at Catholic University about blacks in 15th century Italy and it was fascinating.

I am insanely obsessed with African diaspora in the New World that was able to preserve its identity, primarily in South and Central America, especially in Brazil. We don't find much of the African ways in US blacks because the word is that those slaves were intentionally intermingled so that culture could be destroyed.

Maybe if I could get a grant of a few million $$$, then I could establish a center for African studies.

I do remember reading a Pat Conroy book, I think called The Water is Wide, about his experience with a remote black community in South Carolina that were as close to old ways as you would find. It was very interesting.

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Raymond Dobard, an art historian at Howard UNiversity, who wrote a book that I recommend called, Hidden In Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad. He talked about the history of African American quilters and how they used quilts in the underground railroad. For instance, a quilt hanging out a window with a particular design may mean "caution," or often these quilts were maps detailing the topography of an area. Also, some quilts were star charts giving runaway slaves orientation, etc. The book has pictures and all, I greatly recommend it.