AP African American Studies Resource Archive | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

From left to right: Fodé Lassana Diabaté, a Black man wearing a light-colored tunic and dark red shirt, playing the balafoon (a struck instrument similar to a xylophone); Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté, a Black woman wearing a patterened cloth dress and red headscarf, singing with arms outstretched, and Chérif Keita, a Black man in a blue robe, smiling.

The Sunjata Story: Glimpse of a Mande Epic

with Fodé Lassana Diabaté, Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté, and Chérif Keita

Explore the story of Sunjata Keita through this performance.

Video

A wooden crucifix sculpture with three crosses stacked vertically, each with a Christlike crucified figure

Christianity and the Kingdom of Kongo

with John K. Thornton

Take a deep dive into Nzinga a Nkuwu (João), Nzinga Mbemba (Afonso), and the Kingdom of Kongo's move to Catholicism.

Video

A white angel with brown hair and a white robe and holding a staff in his left hand speaking to a white woman, her right arm outstretched, and her left hand turning the page of a book. A dove is surrounded by a halo above them. Below both of them is a textile created in Kongo.

Textiles in the Kingdom of Kongo

with John K. Thornton

Learn more about the development of textiles in Kongo.

Video

A stylized post of (from top to bottom) a bearded man atop a horse, held up by a woman.

Òpó (veranda post)

by Olowe of Ise

View a modern example of Yoruba art and design traditions.

Primary Source

A gold staff with two human figures on either side of a spider web.

Staff of Office (ȯkyeame)

Nineteenth to Early Twentieth Century

View an example of a staff held by high ranking officials in West Africa.

Primary Source

The Tomb of Askia, a mud building covered in spikes, surrounded by two sets of walls. On the other side of the outer wall, cattle walk behind three children.

Conducting Archaeology in the Sudanic Empires

with Mamadou Cissé

Learn more about the process of, and challenges in, studying the history of Gao, capital of the kingdom of Songhai.

Video

A black-and-white photograph of Carter G. Woodson, a Black man, wearing a dark jacket, white shirt, and polka-dotted tie

The Black Campus Movement and African American Studies

with Clarence Taylor

Explore how the field of African American Studies evolved and the first university departments in the field were formed.

Video

Beads and Trans-Saharan Trade

with Abidemi Babatúnde Babalola

Learn more about the importance of beads in African kingdoms, and their impact on the archaeological record.

Video

A color illustration of an olive-skinned, gray-haired/bearded St. Luke (with ceremonial halo) writing in Ge'ez.

African-European Interactions Through the Sixteenth Century

by Matthew Salvadore

Learn more about early connections between Africa and Europe.

Essay

The Black Diaspora and African American Studies

with Jo Von McCalester

Learn how Carter Woodson, W. E. B. Du Bois, and others developed the foundations of African American Studies.

Video

Group of African Americans, marching near the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

History of Race Relations in America

with David Blight, Kellie Carter Jackson, and Manisha Sinha

Explore the importance of Black history and the history of race relations in America in this panel discussion.

Video

Map of West and North Africa along the Mediterranean coast, with trade routes and kingdoms noted through illustrations.

The Catalan Atlas

1375

View a Euro-centric impression of Africa, including the ruler Mansa Musa, through this map and essay.

Work of Art

AP African American Studies Resource Library

The Sunjata Story: Glimpse of a Mande Epic

with Fodé Lassana Diabaté, Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté, and Chérif Keita

Christianity and the Kingdom of Kongo

with John K. Thornton

Textiles in the Kingdom of Kongo

with John K. Thornton

Òpó (veranda post)

by Olowe of Ise

Staff of Office (ȯkyeame)

Nineteenth to Early Twentieth Century

Conducting Archaeology in the Sudanic Empires

with Mamadou Cissé

The Black Campus Movement and African American Studies

with Clarence Taylor

Beads and Trans-Saharan Trade

with Abidemi Babatúnde Babalola

African-European Interactions Through the Sixteenth Century

by Matthew Salvadore

The Black Diaspora and African American Studies

with Jo Von McCalester

History of Race Relations in America

with David Blight, Kellie Carter Jackson, and Manisha Sinha

The Catalan Atlas

1375

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