389years.com :: African-American history artwork

Inspired by the work of Jess Bachman, we carved into solid wood major events in African-American history starting with the arrival of the first slave ship all the way through the election of Barack Obama as President.

Every piece is handworked and individually numbered to mark its place in the collection. Beyond printed pages in a history book, the words are carved in a museum quality piece of art that chronicles the triumphs and tragedy of the African-American experience.

More textural than paper and with more character than stone, the wood imparts a warmth, depth and nobility like no other medium.

"Simply amazing. There is something about touching the words, feeling their depth, that brings this history home." - Amy W.

The events are counted backward in years from the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States.

"389 years ago, the first slave ship arrives in the American colonies"... "45 years ago Dr Martin Luther King Jr has a dream."

It is like walking through time feeling the sacrifices of the individual and the perseverance of the many. Those who lived through the events find themselves thinking "that was 50 years ago, it seems like yesterday" and younger people find that what once seemed like ancient history was not so long ago.

"Before I saw this piece, I knew all about Emmett Till, but the feel of the wood under my fingers made it more real. When I touched his name I started to cry." -Chris J

This is an heirloom quality piece that can be handed down through the generations. We are now accepting orders. Every piece is made as it is commissioned, so orders are filled in the order they are placed. We have a 30 day money back guarantee, so if for some reason you are not totally satisfied, simply return it for a refund.

Because each piece is hand crafted, there is a limit to the number that we can make.

The carving measures 4' tall by 19.5" wide. It is framed with an ebony black frame.

Due to the nature of wood-working, every piece is unique. From the wood grain to the hand finishing, no two of these carvings is exactly alike. Every event is colored in alternating wood finishes: Cherry, Mahogany, and White Oak. The carving is over 1" thick.

Carved Events

"I bought one for our family. I hope to hand it down to our grandchildren one day." - Ann

It really is a beautiful piece of art. As a gift for our department head, it looks great hanging in the office"

389 years ago, the first slave ship lands in the American colonies.
354 years ago, John Castor becomes the first legally recognized slave, ruled “Property For Line” by Virginia courts.
320 years ago, Quakers and Mennonites sign the first anti-slavery resolution.
303 years ago, the slaves codes are enacted to regular the growing slave population. “If any slave resists his master … and shall happen to be killed in a correction … the master shall be free of all punishment … as if such accident never happened.”
296 years ago, a major slave revolt kills 9 whites.
256 years ago, George Washington buys the Mount Vernon estate with 18 slaves. By the time of his death, in 1799, more than 300 slaves reside at Mount Vernon.
233 years ago, Rhode Island becomes the first colony to ban the importation of slaves.
218 years ago, the first census is taken. There are 757,000 blacks in the United States; 9% are free.
210 years ago, all colonies ban the importation of slaves
200 years ago, the importation of slaves is outlawed. Over the next 50 years 250,000 slaves are illegally imported.
177 years ago, Nat Turner leads a slave revolt killing 60 whites.
176 years ago, slavery is abolished in Canada.
149 years ago, the last slave ship arrives from Africa.
143 years ago, after the Civil War, slavery is abolished in the United States.
138 years ago, male black americans are given the right to vote.
133 years ago, the Civil Rights Act is passed guaranteeing equal rights to Black Americans in public accommodations.
127 years ago, public transportation is segregated and Blanch Bruce services a full term in the senate. He is a former slave.
125 years ago, the Civil rights Act is overturned by the Supreme Court.
112 years ago, Plessy V Ferguson establishes the doctrine of separate but equal.
107 years ago, the last African American congressman of the reconstruction era gives up his seat. Southern states would not have a black representative for the next 78 years.
99 years ago, the NAACP is formed.
87 years ago, race riots in Tulsa, Oklahoma leave over 300 African Americans dead.
79 years ago, Oscar DePriest becomes the first black congressman of the modern era. Republicans would not have another black vote in the house for 62 years.
76 years ago, the Tuskegee syphilis experiment begins.
66 years ago, the first African American is accepted into the Marine Corps.
61 years ago, Jackie Robinson plays ball.
59 years ago, WERD becomes the first black owned and operated radio station.
53 years ago, Emmett Till is beaten, mutilated, shot and dumped in a Mississippi river; He was 14 years ago.
51 years ago, the Civil Rights Act is passed further protection the right of African Americans to vote.
45 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr has a dream, Klu Klux Klan members blow up a church killing four young girls. That same year, Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat.
43 years ago, Malcolm X is assassinated and riots in Watts leave 34 dead.
42 years ago, Robert Weaver becomes the first African American to hold a cabinet post and the Black Panther Party is formed and Edward Brooke becomes the first African popularly elected to the United States Senate.
41 years ago, Carl Stokes becomes the first black mayor of a large U.S. city and Thurgood Marshall becomes the first black Supreme Court justice and riots in Detroit leave 43 dead.
39 years ago, Fred Hampton is killed in his bed by police.
35 years ago, Raleigh, Atlanta and Los Angeles elect their first African American Mayor. Two years later, Washington DC and Detroit do.
33 years ago, Channel 62 WGPR becomes the first black owned television station.
30 years ago, Max Robinson becomes the first black broadcast network news anchor.
29 years ago, Frank E. Petersen Jr becomes the first black general in the Marine Corps.
25 years ago, Guion Bluford becomes the first African American in space.
20 years ago, Debi Thomas wins an Olympic medal in the Winter games; She is the first Black person to do so.
19 years ago, Colin Powell serves as the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He would also serve and the first Black National Security Advisor and Commander of the U.S. Amry Forces Command as well as the first Black Secretary of State.
18 years ago, Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected Black Governor and the Harvard Law Review elects its first Black president.
17 years ago, Clarence Thomas replaces Marshall as the only Black member on the Supreme Court.
16 years ago, Rodney King is beaten by police on camera. Riots in Los Angeles kill 53 people and cause on billion dollars in damage and Carol Moseley Braun becomes the first and only Black woman elected to the United States Senate.
10 years ago, James Byrd Jr is lynched, dragged and decapitated by White supremacists.
9 years ago, Franklin Raines becomes the first Black CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
7 years ago, Condoleezza Rice becomes the first Black woman National Security Advisor and four years later, Secretary of State and Robert Johnson becomes the first Black billionaire.
6 years ago, Denzel Washington and Halle Barry win Oscars for their leading roles; the first African Americans to so in 39 years.
4 years ago, Illinois elects the 5th Black Senator in U.S. history.
2 years ago, the first Black person summits Everest.
And On November 4th 2008, the people of the United States elect their first African American President. His name is Barack Obama.