Did you know, for instance, that a black east African slave made his way to Japan in the late 16th Century and ultimately became a celebrated samurai warrior? His name was Yasuke. He befriended the powerful, unifying warlord Oda Nobunaga, who was initially so shocked by the black man’s color that he ordered it to be scrubbed out. When Yasuke emerged from the “cleaning” as black as before, he earned special respect from Nobunaga and the Japanese people.