February 1 – National Freedom Day

nPostednon February 1, 2016

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nTherenare several holidays surrounding the freeing of the African Americannslaves, such as Emancipation Daynand Juneteenth.

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nToday,nI introduce another: National Freedom Day, celebrated on February 1,ncommemorates the date when Abraham Lincoln signed a joint resolutionnthat proposed the 13^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,noutlawing slavery. Lincoln signed the resolution on this date inn1865.

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Thenfirst time National Freedom Day was celebrated was in 1942; a wreathnwas laid by the Liberty Bell as a part of the ceremony. Thatnwreath became an annual tradition.

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nWhennI read that this holiday was created due to the efforts of anformer-slave, I wondered about him…

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So,nlet me tell you a bit about this holiday-creator:

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nMajornRichard Robert Wright, Sr., was born into slavery in Georgia in 1855.nWhen the slaves were emancipated, Wright’s mother and her son walkedn200 miles to get to a place where a freedman could attend school.nWright went to the Storrs School, which was at first held in annabandoned railway car (!), but which became Atlanta University.nWright became the valedictorian at Atlanta University’s very firstngraduation ceremony!

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nWrightnearned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

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nWrightndid a ton as an adult. He became principal of a school, bought anwhite newspaper and started one of the first African-American-ownednnewspapers in Georgia, served in the U.S. Army and rose to be Army Paymaster, which made him the highest-ranking African American in the Army. Henestablished the first tax-supported public high school for AfricannAmericans in Georgia and founded an industrial college. He conferrednwith leaders and developed curricula and founded organizations andnserved as a delegate to national conventions. When he was 67 yearsnold, he became a banker, and the bank that he founded became thenlargest African-American owned and operated bank in the North (at that point in his life he he had abandoned Georgia for Pennsylvania).

nWrightnlived to be 92 years old. The last chapter of his life, henworked to get National Freedom Day as an official commemoration, and he lived long enough to celebrate National Freedom Day five times!

nIt seems that Wright’s efforts to create this holidaynare what led to February being Black History Month!

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nAnotherncontribution from Wright…

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nWhilenhe was still a child in school, a retired Union general named OlivernHoward spoke to the assembled students. At the end of his speech, henasked the children what message he should take back to the children of the North.nWright stood up and said,n“Sir, tell them we are rising.” n

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nThosenwords, “tell them we are rising,” were simple yet hopeful.nThey made a big impact on many, especially when they werenimmortalized in a John Greenleaf Whittier poem called “Howard atnAtlanta.” That poem reads as extremely condescending and racist,ntoday, but it is interesting that the white poet took inspirationnfrom Wright’s words. After quoting Wright (not by name, he spoke of him as “a little boy”), Whittiernwrote: n

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Onblack boy of Atlanta!
Butnhalf was spoken
Thenslave’s chain and the master’s
Alikenare broken.
Thenone curse of the races
Heldnboth in tether
Theynare rising,–all are rising,
Thenblack and white together!

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nEventuallynWright’s granddaughter wrote a book with the title TellnThem We Are Rising.

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