TransAtlantic Slave Trade Denialism (TASTD) is defined by the National Black Cultural Information Trust, Inc. (NBCI Trust) as a practice of denying the existence of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade or minimizing its role in the forced migration of African peoples to the Americas and the system of chattel slavery. The purpose of TASTD is usually to facilitate the denial of African ancestry among African Americans and instead falsely claim or overstate indigenous or Native American ancestry. TASTD includes African, African American, and Indigenous American historical erasure.
Proponents of TASTD use various social media channels to spread false information through multiple series of content grounded in disinformation. Youtube, Instagram, X/Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook are the primary social media platforms utilized by TASTD.
Given this diverse and broad viewership, a general lack of fact checking, accessibility of content and monetization of the platform, YouTube and TikTok have been identified as a key pipeline of TASTD discourses in the digital realm of knowledge production.
Six main false statements asserted by TransAtlantic Slave Trade Denial accounts:
- “The TransAtlantic Slave Trade did not happen”
- “The TransAtlantic Slave Trade was minimal and insignificant”
- “The TransAtlantic Slave Trade happened in reverse”
- “Native Americans are not indigenous to the United States of America”
- “Most” African Americans/BlackAmericans are not of African Descent
- “African Americans are American Aboriginals that are indigenous to America”
- “African Americans are Hebrew and or the true Israel”
Six ways to counter Transatlantic Slave Trade Denialism:
1. Present Verified Historical and Archival Evidence
The TransAtlantic Slave Trade is one of the most extensively documented systems of human trafficking in world history. Primary sources such as shipping logs, slave auction records, plantation inventories, and government documents from Europe, Africa, and the Americas confirm the large-scale forced transport of over 12.5 million Africans from the 15th to the 19th century. Resources like the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database (slavevoyages.org) provide searchable records of these voyages.
2. Cite African Diaspora Genetics and DNA Studies
Genetic studies consistently show that African Americans overwhelmingly have West and Central African ancestry, with clear ancestral links to regions like present-day Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, and Congo. For example, studies by 23andMe and the African Ancestry DNA project confirm this genetic lineage. These findings are consistent across independent research, further disproving claims of non-African origins.
3. Acknowledge the Devastating Scale and Global Impact
Historians estimate over 400 years of sustained trafficking involving European powers and American plantations. The trade fueled the growth of capitalism and global empires, destroyed African societies, and laid the foundation for systemic racism and inequality. Dismissing it as “minimal” is not only inaccurate. It’s a dangerous erasure of human suffering and historical truth.
4. Distinguish Between Historical Facts and Cultural Identity Claims
While some African Americans have Native American or other cultural lineages, the assertion that most are not of African descent or are solely “American Aboriginals” is unfounded. Oral histories, documentation, and ancestry DNA also often differentiate between Black and Indigenous identities, even where cultural exchange existed.
5. Expose the Political and Ideological Motives Behind These Claims
Many of these false narratives are rooted in anti-Black racism, historical revisionism, or pseudo-scholarship often promoted online without scholarly peer review. They are also sometimes weaponized to undermine reparations and civil rights movements.
6. Uplift Credible Black Scholarship and Africana Studies
Reputable scholars like Dr. Greg Carr, Dr. Gerald Horne, Dr. Joy DeGruy, and institutions such as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH®), the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and Howard University’s Department of African Studies have documented Black history with rigorous scholarship.