When James Lynch gave the speech that appears below, his great achievements lay in the future. Born in Baltimore in 1839, Lynch at the age of 24 went to South Carolina as one of the first A.M.E. missionaries to the freedmen and women. From 1866 … Read More(1865) James Lynch, “Colored Men Standing in the Way of their Own Race”
African Americans throughout the North held meetings and church services on January 1, 1863 to celebrate the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. Almost always the festivities revolved around a central speaker. One of those speeches was delivered by Rev. Jonathan C. Gibbs, pastor of the … Read More(1863) Rev. Jonathan C. Gibbs, “Freedom’s Joyful Day”
Walter R. Hundley, minister, sociologist, civil rights worker, and administrator, served in a number of important offices in Seattle government. Hundley was born in Philadelphia on March 8, 1929, and raised there in a black neighborhood which he recalled as being pretty rough. He graduated … Read MoreWalter R. Hundley (1929-2002)
Dr. W.H.C. Stephenson, the first black doctor in Nevada, practiced medicine in Virginia City, Nevada, during the heyday of the Comstock Lode. Born in Washington, D.C., he lived in Pennsylvania and California prior to Nevada. He was trained at one of the Eclectic Medical Institutes … Read MoreW.H.C. Stephenson (1825-circa 1873)
Few Americans are aware of the deep roots of peace activism in the African American community. Benjamin Banneker, the 18th Century mathematician and astronomer, recommended that a “Secretary of Peace” be added to the President’s cabinet whose chief function would be to craft measures to … Read More(1837) William Whipper, “Non-Resistance to Offensive Aggression”
James Forten, Jr. was the son of Charlotte and James E. Forten, prominent Philadelphia abolitionists and as such was part of a second generation of three generations of political activists. Raised in this remarkable family, James Forten, Jr., became politically active at an early age. … Read More(1836) James Forten, Jr. “Put on the Armour of Righteousness”
By the 1830s William Whipper was a successful Pennsylvania lumberman. He was also an abolitionist and temperance advocate. Whipper’s interest in temperance reflected a growing concern among African American leaders about the impact of alcohol on the free (and enslaved) African American population. By 1831 … Read More(1834) William Whipper, “The Slavery of Intemperance”
On August 10, 1817, James Forten and Russel Perrott served as chairman and secretary of a large indignation meeting of Philadelphia’s free African American community. The gathering protested the efforts of the year-old American Colonization Society to recruit blacks to leave the United States for … Read More(1817) J. Forten & Russel Perrott, “An Address To The Humane & Benevolent Inhabitants Of The City And County Of Philadelphia
It is believed that linguist Joseph Roye Applegate spoke as at least 13 languages and had reading knowledge of several others. He was born to parents who operated a boarding house in Wildwood, New Jersey on December 4, 1925. When his family moved to Philadelphia … Read MoreJoseph R. Applegate (1925-2003)
Theophilus G. Steward, African Methodist Episcopal minister, U.S. Army chaplain, and historian, was born April 17, 1843 in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Publicly educated, he entered the ministry in 1864 and immediately sought to “go South.” His wishes were granted in May 1865 and he departed … Read MoreTheophilus Gould Steward (1843-1924)
