I have been immersed in the world of Olaudah Equiano a.k.a Gustavus Vassa over the past few
weeks. He was first captured in his native Africa at age 11 and sold into slavery. For several months he was a slave in Africa before being subjected to the horrors of the Middle Passage. Over the course of his young adult life he was a slave in America, at sea, in England, and in the West Indies. Fortunately for him he was able to purchase his freedom for forty pounds sterling. Of course even free he had little to no rights because of the color of his skin. Eventually, he joined the abolition movement and fought tirelessly to help free his people. He wrote his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of Oladauh Equiano, which has become a pivotal book in history.