The Black History Month display at Logan County Public Library is entitled “Black Resistance.” It is presented by minister Tammra Turner of Bowling Green and author John F. Baker Jr. of Springfield.
See biographies of the two presenters in a Feature Article on The LoJo at http://www.theloganjournal.com/Stories.aspx?Article=features1115
Harriet Tubman (1862-1913), Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931) and Congressman John Lewis (1940-2020) resisted all forms of slavery. They resisted Jim Crow and segregation for the benefit of others and often risked their own lives in the process.
Today, we understand slavery comes in many forms of abuse, physical, emotional and mental.
Physically: The African American slaves were denied the ability to live where they chose but were forced to lived on plantations, forced to work under extreme and life-threatening conditions, and paid very little money for the purpose of being totally dependent on the families who owned them as property.
Emotionally: African Americans were denied the right to express the way they felt when they were being treated as animals. They were taught to suppress their emotions even after witnessing their fathers, sons and husbands lynched in public. These circumstances implanted fear in all who witnessed the lynching of loved ones. This fear was then used to control their behavior, their emotions and how they processed their surroundings.
Mentally: The African American slaves were controlled with threats from their slave owners, verbal insults and many other subtle attacks. The purpose of these tactics was to control their way of thinking. It destroyed their self-esteem and their confidence while distorting reality in their minds.
Harriet Tubman was not satisfied with achieving freedom for herself but risked her life to free 70 others, including family and friends. A huge bounty was offered to catch Harriet for freeing slaves.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett used her writing skills to make the world aware of the lynching of blacks in the South and the unjust conditions blacks faced when attempting to use public accommodations, which had been granted by law.
Congressman John Lewis’ courageous leadership in the voting rights movement led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
Those individuals deserve recognition for the sacrifices they made for equality for all Americans.
The most modern commonly known example of Black Resistance is Black Lives Matter. The organization was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murder. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. is a global organization in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Their mission is to eradicate white supremacy and strengthen to intervene in the extreme violence inflicted on Black communities. Their resistance to these racist and needless acts of violence has created a movement that has brought the harsh treatments of African Americans to the forefront for all the world to see,
These three brave citizens and the Black Lives Matter organization have fought for freedom from slavery in all forms. We have been blessed by their determination and courage displayed in their behavior and consistency to break down these different forms of slavery. Freedom is worth fighting for and we can be thankful for the examples of these three individuals, who refused to allow any form of slavery as a norm for the African American race.
We are able to experience all forms of freedom today because of their courageous acts along with many, may more individuals who fought for the freedom of others.