Book excerpt: Time is the great equalizer. No person, race, culture, or nation stands beyond its reach or can alter its inevitable progress. Timelines, lists of events in chronological order as they happened, allow us to understand the historical past as the evolution of events and eras. In the case of African American history, which has often been subject to blatant and subtle distortion, a timeline can both set the record straight, and expand our knowledge in new and exciting ways. America I AM Black Facts, a companion volume to the four-year touring museum exhibition, America I AM: The African American Imprint created by Tavis Smiley, offers an introduction to the rich, complex, tragic, and triumphal history of the forty million people of African descent over five centuries in what is now the United States. This fascinating volume features six timelines that chronicle the indelible imprint African Americans have made on the life, history, and culture of the United States and the world.