1893 – First Pan-African Conference Proposed by Henry Sylvester-Williams

On May 11, 1893, Trinidadian lawyer Henry Sylvester-Williams publicly proposed a conference to address the global concerns of African-descended peoples. Though the conference would not take place until 1900 in London, the proposal on this day laid the foundation for the Pan-African movement. Williams envisioned a forum where intellectuals, activists, and leaders from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas could unite to combat colonialism, racism, and economic injustice. His efforts influenced the likes of W.E.B. Du Bois and Kwame Nkrumah. The idea sparked cross-continental collaboration and ideological exchange that fueled the 20th-century decolonization movements. May 11 thus represents the birth of a global Pan-African consciousness rooted in unity and resistance.