Historians estimate that up to 2,000,000 Africans kidnapped in the Atlantic slave trade died en route to the Americas & were just thrown overboard. Because they were not seen as human beings, they were treated like cargo, chained & packed together like sardines, fed little, often beaten. They died from starvation, dehydration, diseases like scurvy, smallpox, measles, dysentery, & murder. Women & children were often raped & sexually assaulted by the sailors.

By the last 18th century, a male slave could be sold for between $600 & $1,500 (about $9,000 to $15,000 in US dollars today).

Showing that white supremacy still prevails in all its stench, it’s estimated that over 34,000 African refugees have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. But that figure is unreliable & certainly an underestimate since there is no monitoring agency that values African lives enough to count the number of refugees who board rickety ships in North Africa & compare that to the number who make safe passage.