Juneteenth, Mexican Warrior Gaspar Yanga, with Melissa Waddy-Thibodeaux

Tonight at 8pm ET join The Gist of Freedom as host, Preston Washington welcomes the world renowned Juneteenth Historian/Actress, Melissa Waddy-Thibodeaux! Melissa, a Texan will discuss Juneteenth and The Buffalo Soldiers. Please feel Free to call in ~ 347.324.5552! BlackHistoryBlog.com

Tonight The Gist of Freedom dedicates this show to Mexican Warrior Gaspar Yanga!
 

The first town of freed African slaves in the Americas is not exactly where you would expect to find it — and it isn't exactly what you'd expect to find either. First, it's not in the United States. Yanga, on Mexico's Gulf Coast, Known as the Primer Libertador de America or “first liberator of the Americas,” is a sleepy pueblito founded by its namesake, Gaspar Yanga.

Yanga an enslaved African who taking the role of spiritual and military leader, led a rebellion against his Spanish colonial slavers in the late 16th century and fought off attempts to retake the settlement.

Gaspar Yanga led one of colonial Mexico’s first successful slave uprisings and would go on to establish one of the Americas earliest free black settlements. Gaspar structured the agricultural community in an ordered capacity, allowing its growth and occupation of various locations.