So in our American Literature class, we've been reading a short excerpt about a former slave: Olaudah Equiano. Interestingly, the excerpt is actually an autobiography of his. You can read more about him on this site, but for the most part, Oluadah was a normal 11 year-old kid growing up in West Africa when one unfortunate incident led to his kidnapping into slavery. He had a good life as a slave in his continent, but that all came to an abrupt end when he was sent onboard a slave ship (where he experienced and saw many unspeakable things).
From then on Oluadah worked in a ship, a barber shop, and then went on to become a free man with all the money he saved in those 3 years! He also learned how to read and write along the way, and spent 20 years travelling the world. Oluadah was also a prominent figure in the movement to abolish slavery, which influenced later African-American movements. He published his autobiography, 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano' in 1789 and had a family before passing away in 1797.
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