African American Relationships, Marriages, and Families in Historical Perspective

African peoples have long histories, some of which can be traced back thousands of years. However, the history of Africa and its people took a dramatic turn when their nations came under siege by Western nations and their people were captured and an estimated 40 to 100 million over a 300-year period were sold into slavery through the transatlantic slave trade described as Maafa, which means in Kiswahili “disaster or great misfortune” (Richards, 1990, p. 214).