It is no coincidence that you see many schools called Booker T. Washington as you tour this great nation. This is because this great black educator and leader set the standard and charted a new path in the years immediately after the abolition of slavery to lead his people on a better path. He showed his people an education, success, success, and well-being that comes naturally with these goals.
In 1901, a biography of Booker T. Washington was published under the title Up From Slavery. Washington's struggle to stand up from the limitations of a slave's life to become one of America's most respected black leaders is one of the reasons why he is revered as one of the greats in black history who truly made a difference for his people.
When Booker T. Washington's family was liberated from slavery in Virginia, young Booker immediately began to follow the path of education that would make his mark. Having achieved success at Hampton University and then Wayland Seminary, he would soon spearhead new achievements for African Americans in higher education and become one of the first leaders of Tuskegee University in Alabama.
But what marked Washington's career was more than just academic achievement. He rose to prominence in many areas of leadership and spoke to powerful and influential people in post-slavery black America. The book T. Washington lived up to the concept that the pen is mightier than the sword and is an early voice for moderation and learning within America's institutions and traditions rather than dealing with violence.
One of Washington's greatest strengths was finding partnerships and coalitions among the leaders of many communities to advance opportunities for education and excellence for the African American community of the time. One of the most influential speeches in black history was delivered by Washington and became known as the 1895 Atlanta Address; Here, Washington, by appealing to a largely white audience, initiated a profound change in economic opportunities and the way of recruiting in America at the time. In a speech he...
* He urged the black community to become a part of America's economy and industry, thus initiating the much needed recovery process at the time.
* He stated without reservation that the south is the region of the country with the greatest opportunities for black employment. Washington could be one of the chief architects of saving the south from the ravages of this war, by combining its powerful black workforce with an economy in the midst of recovering from the civil war.
* The economic institutions, run predominantly by the country's white citizens, were introduced that it made more sense to take advantage of the resident black population for reliable workers than to take care of immigrants. The result was a boom in employment for the black community, a huge leap forward in the struggle to break free from slavery.
The 1895 Atlanta Address brought Booker T. Washington to national fame, becoming a healing voice and a powerful catalyst for change in this country. Using its sophisticated network of supporters from all areas of leadership, including political, academic and business leaders, Washington has worked tirelessly to provide hope and new opportunities to black families trying to find their way in America.
His work ethic was profound and produced an extraordinary rate of change by any standard. But it took a toll on Washington, who died at the relatively young age of 59 from exhaustion and overwork. But it also marks the tremendous determination and dedication that this important black leader has had to use all his talents, intelligence and connections to improve the lives of black people and accelerate the path to acceptance and integration across America. We all owe a great debt of gratitude to a Booker T. Washington for being the “man of the hour” to move all people of black and white forward to find ways to work together in partnership, not through mistrust or violence, to achieve the better. America for everyone.
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