100 Amazing Facts About the Negro with Complete Proof: A Book by J.A. Rogers
Joel Augustus Rogers, “J.A Rodgers”
It is an old book that was published in 1957— 66 years ago. The title is “100 Amazing Facts About the Negro, With Complete Proof” written by the outstanding scholar and historian Joel Augustus Rogers, known also as J.A. Rogers. I purchased this book while I was a sophomore at Buffalo State College. It was the beginning of my journey to learn more about African and African American history. I was fascinated by the information in this book. I have used my copy so much until it has fallen apart at the seams. A chapter on J.A. Rogers was included in my book “Eye on History.” The title of this chapter was “To Lay a Foundation.” J.A. Rogers gave the fundamentals of Black history in all of his books.
Rogers wrote such books as: From Superman to Man, Sex and Race, World’s Great Men of Color, Nature Knows No Color Line, The Five Negro Presidents, and so much more. J.A. Rogers was born in the 1880s in Negril, Jamaica. He came to America in 1906 and began to seriously write in 1917. He was a controversial man of his time. He made many sharp remarks about the political and social issues of the day. He had a regular newspaper column in the Pittsburgh Courier called “ Your History,” where he wrote about the rich, varied past of the Black man and woman. He was the master informant of Black history. It has been said that J.A. Rogers perhaps did more than any other individual in bringing to light the significance of Black History.
In the book 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro, he divided the book into many categories. These included Black contributions in science and invention, politics, the arts, ancient civilizations, medicine, sports, the military, exploration, and many other topics. Each topic is accompanied by references. On the first picture page you will find a statue of St. Maurice, the patron Saint of Ger many wearing the eagle of the country on his head. Regarding medicine Rogers wrote the following in his book: “ Imhotep of Ancient Egypt, was the real father of medicine.
He lived about 2300 B.C., and Greece and Rome obtained their knowledge of medicine from him. In Rome he was honored as the Prince of Peace in the form of a Black man. His Ethiopian portraits show him as a Black man. Imhotep was also the Prime Minister to King Zoser as well as the foremost architect of his time. The saying “Eat, drink, and be Merry for Tomorrow We Die” has been traced to him. Hippocrates, the so-called Father of Medi cine lived 2,000 years after Imhotep.”
100 Amazing Facts About the Negro with Complete Proof is a book that you should have in your collection on African and African American His tory. This is a must read for all of those serious about learning more about Black History. I wrote this article on October20, 2015. However, I wanted to repeat it because I have discovered an updated version of this book. The title of it is “500 Amazing Facts About the Negro with Complete Proof.” This book was published in 2023. It was written by Chase McGhee this book is so interesting. It includes information that many people do not know about African American History. The photos in the book really tell a story. If you read this book, then you will realize the one reason that so many people in this country are banning our books. They don’t want us or anyone to know the truth of history.
Some of the pictures in the book include a photo showing the Black Panthers feeding children breakfast in their community. The idea of free breakfast for school children comes from the Black Panthers!! There is also a picture of Henrietta Lacks, the woman whose cells were sold by doctors to researchers without her permission and knowledge. She was an African American woman who carried the first immortal cells in history.
Her cells are responsible for many of today’s medical cures. This is a fascinating book. It also takes readers to Mexico and Canada to show how Blacks contributed to these countries. The author dedicated this book to three of our greatest historians, Joel Augustus Rogers, Dr. Runoko Rashidi, and Dr. Claud Anderson. He stated that if it wasn’t for these men, this book would not have been possible. I highly recommend this book for all African Americans to read and share with their families and friends!!