Introduction

The origins of Black people in the United States are generally told as a story of trans Atlantic travel tethered to enslavement. However, beyond the Atlantic Ocean are numerous seas, oceans, rivers, and waterways through which Black bodies, minds, spirits, practices, and cultures did, and do, traverse.

As early as the 16th century, people of African descent—free and enslaved—traveled along the Pacific Coast of what is now the United States. By the 19th century many were part of maritime trades that brought them to California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaiʻi. 

The Black Pacific Project engages these under told histories and amplifies ongoing Blackness in the Pacific through public humanities projects, written scholarship, media, and community engagement.

Image Caption: Cameron Collins takes a break from surfing at Scripps La Jolla. Courtesy Caroline Collins.