Exploring the life and legacy of John Sella Martin

SOUTHFIELD/BIRMINGHAM — The Birmingham Museum and the Oakland County Historical Society kicked off Black History Month with a lecture on freedom seeker and abolitionist John Sella Martin Jan. 13 at the Southfield Public Library. “The Underground Railroad in Southfield and the Extraordinary Story of John Sella Martin” was the first in a yearlong series sponsored by the Oakland County Historical Society in celebration of its 150th anniversary in 2024. The story of Martin also tied into a five-community research project on the Underground Railroad in Oakland County led by the Birmingham Museum and funded by a grant from the Michigan Council for the Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The project involves volunteer-based teams in Birmingham, Farmington, Royal Oak, Pontiac and Southfield researching connections to the Underground Railroad in Oakland County communities. “The goal is to bring awareness of stories of both abolitionists and formerly enslaved freedom seekers to the public,” Leslie Pielack, the Birmingham Museum director and the research project director, stated in a press release. “Sharing documented evidence with educators, students, and families will cast light on the little-known history of the anti-slavery movement in our area. We all benefit when we have more of the whole picture.” A traveling exhibit and interactive website funded by the grant is set to launch later this month. Early stages of research unveiled nearly two dozen documented freedom seekers and abolitionists. The traveling exhibit was on display at the Southfield Public Library for the presentation on Martin and will be traveling around southern Oakland County to be featured in libraries and public buildings for two months at a time where the public can see it free of charge. The lecture opened with a proclamation presented by Oakland County Commissioners Penny Luebs, Gwen Markham, Kristen Nelson, Yolanda Smith Charles and Linnie Taylor in acknowledgment of the Oakland County Underground Railroad Public History Project. Joy Young, a Birmingham Museum genealogy researcher and cultural consultant, became interested in the project while it was on tour through West Bloomfield, where she lives. Young said that her jaw was on the floor at the Birmingham Museum, and she could not believe the history that unfolded in her community. After reading about Martin, she became fascinated by his life and shared that she was surprised that she had never heard his story before. Young began researching and uncovering more about Martin’s life and legacy. She is currently working on a book illustrating the significance of his life’s work. “From my research, I found out he was a man of faith: a pastor, an abolitionist, a leader, a statesman, a civil servant, an orator, a family man, a politician, and an editor who taught himself to read and write. He was an overcomer. He was a dreamer of freedom for himself and others in slavery. He was a revolutionary and a free thinker, well-read and sociable. He showed great courage in his pursuits, and many think he was handsome,” Young said in the presentation. “John Sella Martin, though small in stature at 5 feet 8 1/2 inches, was a giant of a man during the time of slavery, the Civil War and reconstruction. With all of these accolades, he was not perfect, which you shall see. And though he overcame much sorrow and difficulty, his life ended tragically and too soon.” Young led the presentation on Martin and expressed her desire for people to know his story as an integral part of African American and world history. She informed the attendees that they were just mere footsteps away from the spot where Martin sought freedom through the Underground Railroad at Covenanter Church, now known as Southfield Reformed Presbyterian, with the help of abolitionist minister James S.T. Milligan, who housed Martin for six weeks in 1857. After Martin’s time in Southfield, he became a world-renowned Baptist minister, traveling to England and Scotland, where he was considered one of the most influential abolitionists against American slavery. During her presentation, Young detailed the life of Martin, stating that he was born in 1832 in North Carolina into slavery and was the result of a relationship forced upon his mother, Winnifred — Mrs. Henderson forced Winnifred into a relationship with her nephew as a way to distract him from having relationships with other wealthy white women until his marriage to a white heiress. The relationship resulted in two children, Martin and his older sister, Caroline. Around the time Martin was 7 years old, his family was sold by Mrs. Henderson to a slave trader, which led them to Georgia. When he was around 10 years old, he, his mother and his sister were separated when their enslaver sold them to settle a debt. Martin would go on to be bought and sold at least 11 times. At one point enslaved by a man named Mr. Powers, he worked as an errand boy for gamblers. He heard rumors of African Americans living as free people in the north and in Canada. He became passionate about freedom and took it upon himself to learn to read and write. When he was 17 years old, he learned where his mother was and tried to get her to escape her enslaver, who was known for his cruelty. He visited her and watched as her captor ruthlessly beat her. Because of that visit, Martin would spend seven months in jail for running away. In his autobiography, he described this time as “the most valuable months” of his life because he met a man from the north who taught him about grammar, history, arithmetic and geography, and gave him instructions on how to reach the north. A year later, when Mr. Powers died, Martin was sold to an African American from Mobile, Alabama, named Horace King, an architect and builder of many bridges and structures that still stand today. His time with King was short before he was sold again. His mother died in 1852, and he never saw her again. He received a message from her before her passing that he viewed as prophetic: “Tell my son, he shall not wear out his days in slavery.” Martin began planning his escape to the north, and on Jan. 6, 1856, he declared himself a free man at the age of 24 years old. Following the Underground Railroad, Martin made his way to Covenanter Church in Southfield. Martin lived out the remainder of his life as an abolitionist and minister, traveling the country and the world to fight for freedom. He was a colleague of Frederick Douglass and an acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln. When he died in 1876, his obituary appeared in the Detroit Free Press, as well as many other city newspapers in Michigan, England and Canada. “At the young age of 43, and in just 20 years from escaping slavery and going to Chicago, John Sella Martin left his mark on not just African American history, but American and world history,” Young said. “This man accomplished a lion’s share of achievement that benefited Black Americans and Americans over the last 147 years.”

After being denied a chance to teach in Syracuse, Edmonia Highgate taught freed Black people in the South

By Johnathan Croyle | jcroyle@syracuse.com After graduating with honors from a Syracuse high school in 1861, 17-year-old Edmonia Highgate hoped to begin a teaching career in her home city. She was refused because of her race. Highgate, the daughter of two former slaves, was undeterred. She would go on to teach in Montrose, Pennsylvania before becoming the principal at a Black school in Binghamton. In January 1864, she answered the call of the American Missionary Association who was looking for Northern teachers to travel South during the Civil War to set up schools for the emancipated Black population. “I am strong and healthy,” she wrote in a letter to the Association. “I could labor advantageously in the field for my newly freed brethren.” Edmonia Highgate - This image of a school started by the Freedmen's Bureau is an example of the hundreds of school which were set up during and after the Civil War. Hundreds of Northern teachers, Black and white, men and women, went South to educate the newly freed. Edmonia Highgate of Syracuse was one of them. This is from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. Courtesy of the Library of CongressCourtesy of the Library of Congr Highgate was assigned to a school in Norfolk in the March of 1864. She taught children during the day and adults at night. Teachers faced disease and insults and violence from Southern whites. Teachers were threatened and beaten. Some disappeared. Others had their schools burned down. After just a few months, Highgate was back in Syracuse, mentally exhausted from what she was doing. She was not totally inactive during her time away. At the National Convention of Colored Men, held in Syracuse from Oct. 4-7, 1864, Highgate addressed the abolitionist meeting, one of only two women to do so. According to the convention’s minutes, the 24-year-old was introduced by Frederick Douglass, who was president of the convention. Its minutes reported: “The President then introduced Miss Edmonia Highgate, an accomplished young lady of Syracuse. Miss Highgate urged the Convention to trust in God and press on, and not abate one jot or tittle until the glorious day of jubilee shall come.” In March 1865, she was teaching again, this time in Maryland. She had to rush to Petersburg, Virginia to be at her younger brother Charles’ bedside after he was wounded in one of the last battles of the Civil War. He died on April 2 and was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse. After the war, she was assigned by the A.M.A. to the Frederick Douglass School in New Orleans as a principal. After rioting in July 1866, which saw Northerners attacked by Southern whites, Highgate was forced out of the city into the Lafayette parish. In a letter to Rev. M. E. Strieby of the A.M.A., Highgate described what she faced daily while teaching in the South: “There is more than work for two teachers, yet I am all alone, God has wondrously spared me. There have been much opposition to the School. Twice I have been shot at in my room. Some of my night school scholars have been shot but not killed. The rebels have threatened to burn down the school and house in which I board before the first month was passed.” Despite the danger, Highgate recognized the importance of her work and the positive impact it was having among the freed Black people. “The majority of my pupils come from plantations, three, four and even eight miles distant. So anxious are they to learn they walk these distances so early in the morning as never to be tardy. Every scholar buys his own book and slate, etc. They do learn rapidly. A class who did not understand any English came to school last Monday morning and at the close of the week they were reading ‘Easy Lessons.’” “After the horrible riots in New Orleans in July, I found my heart getting impaired from hospital visiting and excitement so I came here to do what I could and to get stronger corporally, that I might enter fully into carrying light and knowledge into dark places,” she added. “The Lord blessed me, and I have a very interesting and constantly growing day school, a night school, and a glorious Sabbath School of near one hundred scholars.” She returned to New Orleans in 1867 but resigned her position after she publicly spoke out against the school board after it proposed “segregated public school system” Highgate said she would “rather starve than stoop one inch on that question.” In 1868, she became a collection agent for the A.M.A in Mississippi. She continued teaching but also became a public speaker to help raise funds. At a speech at the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, she told her audience that their work was “not yet half done; and if it is not thoroughly done, it will have to be done over again.” She also toured cities telling her story in a speech entitled “Five Years Among Southern Loyalists.” Her lecture was a triumph. “Syracuse born and educated, we may all have pride in her accomplishments,” the Daily Standard said on Nov. 15, 1869. And said the local hall where she would speak that night “should be filled to hear her recital of an experience that must be full of interest to all.” “Miss E.G. Highgate was one of the most earnest teachers among the free millions of the South,” the Anti-Slavery Standard wrote. The New Orleans Republican said Highgate “possesses wonderful eloquence,” and The Pilot of Jackson, Mississippi said she was a “thoroughly educated lady and a very charming speaker.” Edmonia Highgate Maireid Conner and Gary Weinstein stand at the grave of Edmonia Highgate (unmarked) in Oakwood Cemetery in June 1988. Syracuse Post-StandardSyracuse Post-Standard The extraordinary life of Edmonia Highgate was tragically short. On Oct. 17, 1870, the Syracuse Daily Journal reported about the “mysterious death” in the city a few days before. The paper said a woman calling herself Sarah Darling who had checked into a boarding house at 67 Taylor Street in Syracuse. She later complained of not feeling well. A doctor called Chase was summoned who gave her some medicine. The woman improved but then died. The woman’s belongings were searched, and it was discovered that she was Edmonia Highgate. A coroner’s investigation said the teacher, activist, and speaker had died after a botched abortion. She had begun an affair with a married white man, a poet named by the name of John Henry Vosburg, whose wife had been sent to a mental institution. Her funeral was held on Oct. 18, 1870, at Syracuse’s Wesleyan Church. “The acquaintance of the family and circumstances of her death attending her death, drew a large audience, filling the house to its utmost capacity,” the Daily Standard said. “At the close, the vast assembly joined in file to take a last look of her who has thus untimely been called away.” Highgate was buried in an unmarked grave besides her brother at Oakwood. On June 18, 1988, a marker to her was placed at her grave on Syracuse’s first observance on Juneteenth. Edmonia Highgate A photograph of Black activist and teacher Edmonia Highgate’s grave in Oakwood Cemetery. The tall marker to the left is her brother Charles. In 1988, a group, The Friends of Edmonia Highgate, led by Mairead Connor, Gary Weinstein and Myriene Jones raised $800 to place a headstone on Edmonia’s unmarked grave. Onondaga Historical AssociationOnondaga Historical Association Read more After breaking records at Syracuse University, Bernie Custis becomes first pro Black quarterback Syracuse’s first Black resident paid $80 for his own freedom, helped dig the Erie Canal

BOSTON GLOBE ‘I didn’t have the words’: Genealogists link woman to Elizabeth Freeman, who helped end slavery in Mass.

Genealogists tracked down a descendant of Elizabeth Freeman, the formerly enslaved woman whose freedom case helped end slavery in Massachusetts By Tiana Woodard Globe Staff,Updated August 20, 2024, 5:21 p.m.

Chester B. Himes by Lawrence P. Jackson · Audiobook preview

William Burns Kirk

Former Mayor Dies After Long Standing Illness Contracted Cold in New York Last December and Never Recovered - Responsible for City Ownership of Skaneateles Water and New City Hall - Prominent Socially and Politically. William B. Kirk, twice mayor of the city of Syracuse, and the man to whom Syracuse is indebted for one of the greatest benefits ever gained to this commonwealth - the bringing of Skaneateles water here - died at his home, No. 820 James street, at 12:30 o'clock this morning. the members of his immediate family were at his side when the end came. For several months Mr. Kirk has been in feeble health, and his death was not unexpected, although it came suddenly at the last. His last public appearance was in December when he went to New York to be present at a hearing given by a sub-committee of the Democratic State committee in the contest for State committeeman from this county. A number of Syracuse politicians were heard in the interests of their friends, Mr. Kirk having been one of them. The weather at the time of his journey was intensely severe and Mr. Kirk contracted a cold, which developed into pneumonia and his condition was considered serious. He recovered up to a certain point, however, but was so weak that he was unable to leave the house. For more than a month he had been confined to his room. Born in Syracuse. Mr. Kirk was born in Syracuse on June 6th, 1850, and was the son of William B. Kirk, a Lafayette wagon maker, and his wife, Sarah Garfield, a relative of President James A. Garfield. The elder Kirk was one of the early settlers of Onondaga county and accumulated a large amount of property. He came to Syracuse and purchased the John Garrison tavern on the site of the present Kirk block at the corner of South Salina and West Fayette street and invested a considerable part of his money in New York Central stock. In 1869 the first Kirk block was built. William B. Kirk, jr., was educated in the schools of Syracuse and early in life developed strong intellectual powers and an aptitude for business. Upon the death of his father, Mr. Kirk succeeded to the management of a very large estate and took an active interest in politics. He was an ardent Democrat and labored zealously to promote the interests of the Democratic party. For many years he had the active cooperation in the management of the affairs of his party of Henry J. Mowry and William A. Beech, two of the most prominent Democratic leaders of Syracuse. Mr. Kirk, backed by their influence, was made Democratic State committeeman for this district, serving two terms. In 1888 Mr. Kirk was made the Democratic candidate for Mayor and was elected. He was re-elected mayor in 1889, and was nominated for a third term in February, 1890, but was defeated by William Cowie, now postmaster of Syracuse. Mr. Kirk's administration of the office of Mayor was characterized by energy, broad-minded intelligence and a service to the city of Syracuse of inestimable value. He was a progressive chief executive and took an active part in promoting public improvements and in developing the street railway system of the city. His greatest public service, however, was exerted to the securing of the grant of Skaneateles water for Syracuse. He was ably assisted in his efforts by Henry J. Mowry and other public-spirited and progressive citizens, including Bishop P. A. Ludden, who made a powerful speech at a public meeting held in Shakespeare hall in favor of securing the Skaneateles water supply. Named Water Board. The Legislature in 1888 gave the Mayor power to appoint a board of water commissioners and the city election at a special election in June, 1889, voted a bond issue of $3,000,000 to secure the Skaneateles water. The first water commission appointed consisted of E. B. Judson, Alexander H. Davis, W. H. Warner, P. B. McLennan and W. K. Niver. Other water commissioners subsequently appointed were James B. Brooke in 1891, W. H. Warner in 1892, Charles Hubbard in 1893, P. B. McLennan in 1895 and Henry J. Mowry in 1896. Mayor Kirk also took a leading part in promoting the building of a new city hall for Syracuse. The Legislature in May, 1888, authorized the bonding of the city for $300,000 to erect the new building, giving the Mayor authority to designate four commissioners to have charge of the building of the new edifice. Mayor Kirk appointed as such commissioners Henry J. Mowry, John Dunn, jr., August Falker, and E. F. Holden. The new City Hall was completed in 1891, while William Cowie was mayor. Mr. Kirk was retained as city hall commissioner after he had retired from the office of mayor. The City Hall was built inside of the appropriation and a surplus of several thousand dollars was turned over to the city by the commissioners. Under Mr. Kirk as mayor charter amendments were made giving the Mayor power to appoint a commissioner of public works and a corporation counsel. Mr. Kirk in recent years had been urged to accept the Democratic nomination for mayor, but declined to yield to the solicitation of his friends. He was a large owner of real estate and always labored zealously to promote the interests of Syracuse. His holdings in the southern part of the city were very large, including the Kirkwood driving park, which for many years was a popular racing track. The city has recently acquired a portion of Kirkwood park for park purposes. Owner of Kirk Block. His most notable real estate possession was the Kirk block at South Salina and West Fayette streets, which was erected by him. Mr. Kirk became one of the sureties on the bail bond of Col. John F. Gaynor for $40,000, and the bond was forfeited. The government has not yet collected on the bond, liability for which was denied by Mr. Kirk. At the age of 29 years Mr. Kirk married Miss Rose Poole of Liverpool. About twenty years ago they removed to the family residence on James street hill, which they have since occupied. Mr. Kirk leaves, besides his widow, two daughters, Miss Rose Poole Kirk of Syracuse, Mrs. Ralph S. Heilman of Sharon, Pa., and three sons, William B., jr., Henry M. and Donald G. Kirk of this city. Mr. Kirk was prominent in Masonic and social circles. He was a thirty-second degree Mason, a Knight Templar and was affiliated with the B. P. O. Elks, the Shriners, and several fishing and hunting clubs, including the Picton Fishing club of Canada. Mr. Kirk was an affable, courteous and popular gentleman, who was held in high esteem by his fellow citizens and a large circle of strong personal friends. Mr. Kirk, while unostentatious in his charities, yet gave liberally in many quarters. Until his son went to his office last winter to take charge of his father's business, none of the family had the slightest idea of the extent of Mr. Kirk's benefactions, or the number of poor families who were practically his pensioners. The funeral will take place from his home, No. 820 James street, on Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock, the Rev. Dr. Samuel S. Calthrop, pastor emeritus of May Memorial church, officiating. The Masonic quartet will sing, and an escort from the Knights Templar will attend. Masonic services will be held at Oakwood cemetery. The honorary bearers have not yet been selected. The active bearers will be chosen three from the Knights Templar and three from the Elks. Syracuse, New York The Herald newspaper Saturday evening, August 26, 1911 Page 6, Columns 1 thru 3

Beauford Delaney

A Top U.K. Newspaper Explores Its Ties to Slavery, and Britain’s In a multimedia series, The Guardian becomes the latest British institution to confront — and apologize for — its role in the slave trade.

Harry Belafonte, 96, Dies; Barrier-Breaking Singer, Actor and Activist In the 1950s, when segregation was still widespread, his ascent to the upper echelon of show business was historic. But his primary focus was civil rights.

Rev. LeRoy Glenn Wright

February 22, 2023 Rev. LeRoy Glenn Wright was born in Detroit, MI and raised in Nashville, TN. After graduating Nashville's Pearl High School, he went on to attend Fisk University where he began a lifetime of activism. Most notably he was part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a Freedom Rider in the summer of 1961 and an organizer for the historic March on Washington. For his civil rights work Rev. Wright has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey show, PBS, in the New York Times, and numerous museums of African American history. In 1962 he moved to Syracuse, NY where he continued his life of activism and service through the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.) and as a life member of the NAACP. His career spanned social work, psychiatric care, drug and alcohol counseling, church leadership and prison ministry. Rev. Wright was ordained through the Northeastern District Baptist Association and furthered his theological education at the historic Colgate Rochester Divinity School. He faithfully served the Faith United Methodist Church as pastor, and as chaplain for the Onondaga County Justice Center. A lifelong advocate for women in ministry, he used these positions to give preaching opportunities to women who had been denied opportunity in their own churches. He remained a resident of Syracuse for more than 60 years. Rev. Wright is survived by his son Rev. Dr. Clarence E. Wright, 2 children by marriage; Eric and Amelia Winfree; 3 siblings and 4 grandchildren. Services will be held Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the Greater New Testament Missionary Baptist Church (1121 S. Salina St. Syracuse, NY 13202). Public viewing will begin at 9:00am with service following at 11:00am. Condolences can be sent to Gethers Funeral Services, 1520 South Ave. Syracuse, NY 13207 or Gethers_Trusts_God@verizon.net. GETHERS TRUST GOD 315-476-0157 Please leave Memories and Condolences on syracuse. com/obits

Kwame Brathwaite, 85, Photographer With a Lens on Black Pride, Is Dead

Within Our Gates (1919) | Silent Film Directed by Oscar Micheaux

Oscar Micheaux: The Czar of Black Hollywood [DOCUMENTARY] | Black History

Gerrit Smith - Biographical Info

Gerrit Smith - Biographical Information - New York History Net

What it was like for black soldiers who were captured or surrendered to Confederate troops

This story is part of The Post-Standard's 2012 observance of Black History Month, which coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The Post-Standard observes the month with accounts related to Central New York African-Americans who lived in the Civil War era, especially those who risked their lives as abolitionists and those who fought for the Union.

(AND The Post Standard did a mighty fine job with it)

Zumbi, the last leader of the quilombo of Palmares