Who is William Henry Sheppard from King Leopold's Ghost and what is their importance?

William Henry Sheppard (1865 - 1927) was an early African-American Presbyterian Missionary and the first black missionary in the Congo. He traveled to Africa in 1892, spending the next two decades in the Congo Free State, where he was known among the native peoples as Mundéle Ndom, which roughly translates as "the black white man." Though technically not in charge of the Presbyterian Mission—it was headed by a white man—Sheppard's proactive approach and boundless energy made him the de facto leader. Sheppard developed a great fondness for the Congo and felt very at ease there. He was one of the first to report on widespread atrocities committed in the Congo, particularly against the Kuba people. Sheppard's reputation was attacked by Leopold's agents and his reports were, initially, not widely regarded. The text includes a photograph of Sheppard.