Triumph, failure, defeat and resistance vis a vis slavery, colonization, and emancipation, are central in shaping the vastness of Black experiences. In this course we bridge individual and historical processes. Our engagement with Black authors’ historical fiction and empirical works invites us to consider the day-to-day negotiations of Black: struggles, joys, sorrows, and freedoms as both intimately personal and ideological endeavors. Our focus spans slavery in the US and Caribbean and colonization of sub-Saharan Africa highlighting important connections and distinctions unique to locales and approaches of resistance to white supremacy and ultimately, the creation of Black diasporic cultures.