Did you know that blacks enslaved whites before whites enslaved blacks? Or that the first blacks in English America were not slaves?

These are facts, according to former Farrell resident John Terry Allen, elder at Destiny International Ministries, Canfield, Ohio.

Allen, 48, is author of the book "Let My People Know," a manual for understanding the black presence in the Bible and related issues. The title plays off the saying "let my people go," and refers to a state of mental rather than physical slavery.

The book attempts to "liberate the truth," which Allen says has been distorted, neglected, ignored and sometimes deliberately hidden.

He says he hopes his book not only dispels the myths about blacks, but also exposes some people to material that they would never have seen otherwise.

Motivation to write the book came after doing religious seminars and research from other books. He said people at seminars would ask him questions.

"People I would talk to were also angry because they weren't finding this type of information," he said.

Allen said he was equally unsuccessful in Bible college in his search for information concerning the role blacks played in the Bible, he said.

The information he was able to gather can be found in the 80 pages of his book and chapters that discuss Biblical blacks, who they were, their relation to Islam, black trivia and other interesting facts.

In conjunction with Black History Month, Allen served as guest speaker Sunday at the Community Missionary Baptist Church, 1013 Emerson Ave., Farrell.

Standing with a noticeable presence at 6 feet 6 inches tall, Allen spoke to the congregation about issues facing the black community and of God in general.

Negative music -- not just rap music-- is quickly corroding the minds of black people, he said. "Many young blacks develop self-hate because of (these issues)," he said during his sermon.

Within the black community people must also let go of drugs, alcohol and other strongholds that work to corrode the spirit, he said. The way to do that, he said, is with prayer.

Blacks must also "go beyond taking pride in racial achievements to willingly seek God as black people," he said. "God has a work for every racial group. We have to see where we fit into God's ultimate plan."

After the sermon, several churchgoers stood in line with copies of Allen's book waiting for him to sign.

Though it is his first book, he says it won't be his last.

"I have more books in my spirit that I will be releasing in the future," he said.

Allen was raised in Farrell and graduated from Farrell High School in 1972. He moved to Youngstown after graduation and has lived there since. He now works within the Youngstown City Schools where he serves as a liaison for the district's Safe Drug Free Schools program.