Prof. Gates was very thorough in cataloging the organization of the trade, even trailing the route from the Scarcies River all the way to the Atlantic, and asking local chiefs whether any of their ancestors benefited from the sale of slaves. He traced the path of the first known slave taken from slave taken from Sierra Leone, a 10 year old girl, from her capture to the plantation on which she lived her days, and her genealogy and interviewed her great (times 5) grand daughter. He made passing reference to Sierra Leone being the home of repatriated slaves but did not highlight their contribution, and the contribution of all Sierra Leoneans towards the advancement of Pan-Africanism. I will not accuse him of "researcher bias" because his goal is to promote the understanding of African American history not to reinterpret Sierra Leonean diaspora or general history, which has been meticulously done by Fyfe, Wyse, Flye, Alie and other erudite Sierra Leonean historians. I however see that omission as an opportunity from which to pivot and offer some insights into Sierra Leone's role as a Pan African leader.
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