Retake Your Fame

This revised and expanded edition is an invaluable source of information about the contributions of Blacks to world civilization, from ancient to modern times. Among the topics discussed are the ancient Black Hebrews, the Black Moors who invaded and occupied parts of Europe for centuries, great Blacks like Hannibal and Jesus Christ, and the forgotten Black civilizations of Europe, Egypt, Asia, and the Americas.

A new wave of research in black classicism has emerged in the 21st century that explores the role played by the classics in the larger cultural traditions of black America, Africa and the Caribbean. Addressing a gap in this scholarship, Margaret Malamud investigates why and how advocates for abolition and black civil rights (both black and white) deployed their knowledge of classical literature and history in their struggle for black liberty and equality in the United States. African Americans boldly staked their own claims to the classical world: they deployed texts, ideas and images of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt in order to establish their authority in debates about slavery, race, politics and education. A central argument of this book is that knowledge and deployment of Classics was a powerful weapon and tool for resistance-as improbable as that might seem now-when wielded by black and white activists committed to the abolition of slavery and the end of the social and economic oppression of free blacks. The book significantly expands our understanding of both black history and classical reception in the United States.

Even today, there are many people who believe in the worthlessness of the black race. "What have blacks contributed to civilization?" they ask. This book helps dispel the myth of black inferiority, among other things, this book tells us that: All the major world religions had their origins in Africa. Most of the Church Fathers and Biblical Characters like St. Augustine, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus Christ and his mother Mary were black. Several Prominent Greeks like Pythagoras studied in ancient Egypt under black priests/professors. Blacks constructed the pyramids and megalithic remains like Stonehenge. . Blacks have fought and died in all of America's wars. The Black Moors ruled parts of Europe for close to 800 years and their efforts helped usher Europe out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance. Some of the world's most famous individuals like Beethoven, Haydn, Alexander Pushkin and Alexandre Dumas had black roots.