What if the story we’ve been told about Black Americans is incomplete?
For generations, the history of Black Americans has been framed almost entirely through the lens of slavery. But historical records tell a deeper story. Long before the rise of the racial categories we know today, the American South was home to powerful Indigenous nations — town civilizations with their own governments, alliances, and sacred traditions. Before We Were Black explores the forgotten identity of Southeastern peoples and the historical process that transformed sovereign nations into racial categories. This book uncovers the maps, records, eyewitness accounts, and treaties that reveal a hidden chapter of American history.
What You’ll Discover
Reveals the Nations and Towns of the Southeast Before Slavery
Discover the thriving civilizations that existed long before the narrative of slavery — from the Apalachee Confederacy to the sacred red and white towns that shaped the South.
Documents the Legal Erasure and Reclassification of Indigenous Peoples
Learn how laws, treaties, and colonial policies systematically erased Indigenous identities and reclassified original Americans as “Negro” or “Black.”
Connects Southeastern History to the Global Moorish Legacy
Trace the deep ties between the Southeastern Indigenous nations and the global Moorish world — from architecture and governance to sacred traditions.