[Wonder Warthog]

"The false premise here is that early African-Americans as a group were free to “select” and reproduce."

You misunderstand "natural selection". All that is necessary for natural selection is small, genetically isolated groups and differing environmental (or other) stress on survival rates. It has nothing to do with mate picking or any other "freedom of choice" phenomenon.

[RegulatorCountry]

Forced selection for the sickle cell trait is not natural. The premise is false, as is the conclusion.