The Middle Passage, a term imbued with seismic gravity and haunted still by echoes of suffering and resilience, refers to the harrowing transatlantic journey endured by enslaved Africans forcibly transported to the New World. This sinister corridor, a conduit between the familiar soils of Africa and the alien plantations of the Americas, encapsulates a nexus of cruelty, despair, and paradoxical strength. In the bowels of creaking ships, bereft of sunlight and humanity, countless souls were dehumanized, their cries for freedom a muted symphony beneath waves indifferent to human agony. Yet, within this crucible of despair sprouted resilient roots, defiant in their will to survive, to remember, and ultimately, to redefine what it means to be human in a world so adept at forgetting its own darkness. The Middle Passage is not just a route; it is a relentless reminder of the unfathomable depths of both human depravity and indomitable spirit.

See also: slave trade, black bodies, white supremacy, intergenerational trauma, black geographies