Over 20,500 voyages

Andrew Kahn created an interactive video-map which I found on Slate. The map shows every documented slave ship from Africa to the Americas from 1550 (the first one about 1564) to 1860. That is 300 years, over 20,500 voyages, and more than 10 million enslaved Africans.

The surprise: We usually think of slavery as a North American issue. But less than 4% came to our shores. Out of those 10 million, 4.8 million went to Brazil, 4 million went to the Caribbean, and 1.3 million went to Spanish Central America.

After those mind-numbing stats Kahn reminds us those numbers reflect documented voyages. The actual number of enslaved Africans is likely twice the numbers above.

Slate has a history of American Slavery. I may have to visit other chapters.



I’ve mentioned the spat between gay figure skater Adam Rippon and the vice nasty guy. Between the Lines, Michigan’s LGBTQ newspaper, has a nice comic about it.



Yeah, another school shooting. I apologize for sounding so cavalier. I’ll mention only a couple things that Melissa McEwan of Shakesville noted.

* Lots of talk about mental illness. As is done after every shooting. McEwan notes that not all potential shooters have access to mental health care, not all can be kept in treatment until its conclusion, and not all can be ‘fixed’ by that care.

* Schools are required to have active shooter drills. This shooter, who had been a student at that school, had been through those drills and knew how they worked. Then he used it to his advantage.