Daily Archives: January 25, 2019

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New Library of Congress collection

The only known surviving Muslim American slave autobiography has been acquired by the Library of Congress, and has been made available to the public online as a part of the Omar Ibn Said Collection. The autobiography (of Omar Ibn Said) is only 15 pages long, and while written in Arabic, is accompanied by an English translation.

The fact that this was written in Arabic may make it more authentic, as many slave autobiographies that were written in English were edited and changed by their owners. It is also proof of the level of education that existed in Africa at the time.

To view the collection go to: https://www.loc.gov/collections/omar-ibn-said-collection/about-this-collection/

To read a more informative article on the collection go to: https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-19-004/?loclr=twloc