Black History Month has many great role models, but here’s someone that’s well worth knowing! His name was Gaspar Yanga, and thanks to animator David Heredia, we have a great animated lesson suitable for classrooms.
After being taken from his home in West Africa and forced into slavery in Mexico, Gaspar Yanga became one of the first black liberators in the Americas. Decades before the American Civil War, he led one of the most successful slave rebellions in our hemisphere.
After being forced into slavery on the sugar plantations in Veracruz, Mexico, he escaped around 1570. Gaspar and his followers headed into the mountainous terrain of Veracruz, where they flourished unchallenged for nearly 30 years. Later, his group constantly fended off Spanish military attacks. Years later, he was officially awarded land under a treaty. The town of Yanga is named in his honor.
Heredia, who has worked in animation for Disney and Warner Bros., has also written a book for kids, “Little Heroes of Color: 50 Who Made a Big Difference.” It’s available from Amazon by clicking here.
Here’s the video.
You can click here to see more of Heredia’s work.