1900 – "Anténor Firmin's Legacy Resurfaces at Paris Expo"

On May 12, 1900, during the Paris Exposition, Anténor Firmin’s groundbreaking 1885 work The Equality of the Human Races resurfaced among Pan-African intellectuals. Firmin, a Haitian anthropologist and diplomat, had been one of the earliest critics of scientific racism. His book, written as a response to Arthur de Gobineau’s racist theories, used physical anthropology and philosophical arguments to assert the intellectual and cultural equality of Black people. The 1900 Paris Expo, which included the First Pan-African Conference, reignited interest in Firmin’s ideas. Delegates from across Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas discussed his theories in relation to the struggle for Black dignity. Though Firmin had died in 1911 relatively uncelebrated, May 12, 1900, symbolizes the moment his ideas gained wider recognition as a foundation for Pan-African thought and Afro-diasporic pride.