Who is Cain and what is his importance in the poem, Being Brought From Africa to America?

Cain is a biblical figure who is named in the poem. He was the son of Adam and Eve and the brother of Abel. In the Bible, Cain attacks and kills his brother out of jealousy. He then receives the mythical "mark of Cain," which sets him apart from others, requiring him to wander forever. Many white writers throughout the middle ages, early modern period, and even through the early twentieth century interpreted the mark of Cain to be black skin, and thus Black people to be the descendants of Cain, marked by their ancestors' sin. Thus, the reference to Cain acknowledges Christian racism of the period, while also refuting it – people may be "as black as Cain" without sharing Cain's guilt (7).