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Afro-American Newspapers February 26, 2011
Week 4
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2 Character Education/Black History Month February 26, 2011
3Black History Introduction
4Character Education Prole: BGE
6Black Politics After the Civil War
7The Freedmens Bureau
8Character Education Prole:College Savings Plans of Maryland
9Black Townships and Migration
10Character Education Prole:Legg Mason
11Character Education Prole:
Legg Mason
12Black Education
13Character Education Prole:T. Rowe Price
15Character Education Prole:Verizon
A publication of the
Afro-American Newspapers
The Baltimore
Afro-American Newspaper
2519 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 554-8200
The Washington
Afro-American Newspaper
1917 Benning Road NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 332-0080
John J. Oliver Jr.
Chairman/Publisher
Character Education Project Manager
Diane Hocker
Character Education Coordinator
Takiea Hinton
Project Editors
Zenitha Prince
Talibah Chikwendu
Kristin Gray
Electronic Editor
William Parschalk
Graphic Designer
Denise Dorsey
Character Education
Black History MonthAfrican Americans
and the Civil War
Table of Contents
The Afro-American NewspapersCharacter Education programis designed to promote
positive character traits in our publicschool students. Each year, severalcorporate professionals and businessleaders join our eort and share storiesthat illustrate how the building oftheir character not only helps thempersonally but also in the workplace.During Black History Month, theAFROis delivered to public middleschools across the region includingAnne Arundel County, BaltimoreCity and Baltimore County, HowardCounty, Montgomery County, PrinceGeorges County and Washington,D.C. Each publication contains thetestimonies of our corporate partners.
How does it work?During the AFROs Black History
Month series the newspapers mostactive and sought after series eachyear we feature a Black History andCharacter Education publication thatproles diverse corporate professionals,their success stories and helpfulstrategies for planning a successfulcareer. Each week, eighth-graders fromAnne Arundel County, BaltimoreCity and Baltimore County, Howard
County, Montgomery County, PrinceGeorges County and Washington,D.C. Public Schools receive thepublication at no cost. Te goal is forstudents to read the featured prolesand Black history content and submitan essay connecting what theyvelearned from a particular prole tothe importance of character building.Winners of the essay contest areawarded valuable prizes to further theireducation and an opportunity to meetthe corporate professional they chose towrite about.
Why eighth-graders?Our research shows that by the
eighth grade, most students havestarted to seriously think about theircareer goals and are more receptive to
the information shared by the businesscommunity.
How can the schools help? Allow the AFROto deliver
Character Education to your school ona weekly basis throughout the month ofFebruary. In addition, provide the Afro-American Newspapersin your schoolsmedia center or library on a weeklybasis for the current calendar year.
Assist in coordinating the
distribution of the publication withinparticipating school districts.
Identify a liaison to advise uson information concerning charactereducation that can be included in eachedition.
Encourage teachers and studentsto participate in the essay contest.
How do schools beneft? Te AFROencourages sta and
students of participating schools tosubmit stories, columns, photos, etc.,about the importance of education andgood character.
During February, all participatingschools receive the Character Educationpublication to assist students in theirlearning of Black history and to furtherpromote literacy.
Partnership opportunityCorporations, nonprots and other
organizations are invited to becomestrategic partners with this campaign.By becoming a partner, your companywill help provide the AFROas aneducational tool to eighth-gradersthroughout the region. In addition,your company will illustrate its supportfor professional development amongtodays youth.
Character Education 2011
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Afro-American Newspapers February 26, 2011
W
hen the last musket had been shot and the dust cleared
from elds of battle in the American Civil War, possi-
bilities loomed large for the estimated 4 million former
enslaved African Americans.
Many ed from the sites of their ignominy, the now-decimated planta-
tions where they had suffered the fate of men, women and children con-
sidered as chattel. They developed townships of their ownraised their
own crops on 40-acre plots conscated from their former owners and
promised to them by the Union. And many more turned their eyes toward
the North, leaving the South in a large exodus of impoverished people
seeking an urban promise land.
With the singular contributions of Black men and women in the war of
the states, the goodwill extended to former slaves translated itself into op-
portunities in politics, in formal education and more.
But those halcyon days did not last. In 1866 the Klu Klux Klan, a
secret terrorist organization, began organizing underground resistance
against the civil rights and sociopolitical power afforded to African Amer-
icans during Reconstruction. And a decade after the end of the Civil War,
when the U.S. economy began to wane, so too did the support for Black
equality. Restrictive Black codes began to resurge. And in 1896 the
Supreme Court passed the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, enshrining the hy-
pocrisy that was the dark doctrine of separate but equal, and signaling
the dawn of a new era of terror for African Americans.
Celebrating Black History Month
Black Life after the Civil War
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4 Character Education/Black History Month February 26, 2011
One of my favorite quotes is from the great poet and author, Dr. MayaAngelou, who wrote, Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and
liking how you do it. Ive always found those words highly inspiraonal
and something I think about oen when it comes to my personal life
and my career.
My mother has always been an incredible inspiraon to me. She was a
very outgoing, generous woman who believed strongly in giving back to
the community. From a very early age, she inslled a sense of philan-
thropy and encouraged me to get involved in community acvies. I
remember sing next to her years ago as she registered new voters
during a polical elecon. She took the me to carefully explain to methat vong is not just a privilege; it is a responsibility, too.
I grew up parcipang in Girl Scouts from a Brownie to a Senior Scout.
Through various acvies it opened new doors for me and I began to
understand the importance of leadership. I volunteered for opportuni-
es to mentor younger scouts and help them with their badges, proj-
ects, and camping events. I also completed the Girl Scout Silver Award
which required a 50 hour service project to develop leadership skills in
senior scouts. Those interacons gave me the condence to apply for,
and be accepted to, a 6 week Congressman Mickey Lealand Kibbutz
internship to Israel. This created the foundaon toward building my
leadership skills.
Engaging in community acvies opened my eyes to the diverse oppor-
tunies available to me. I was exposed to the arts, theater, music, new
foods, traveling, and much more. I was encouraged by posive role models
to try new things, and I enthusiascally took on those challenges. Through
those experiences I developed what I call an inquisive mind and I began
asking quesons to learn morea pracce that has enabled me to take
others opinions into consideraon, but to also rely on my own judgment.
Today, as a director in BGEs informaon technology department, my team
and I are responsible for the behind-the-scenes technical infrastructure
and support that makes it easy for our customers to eecvely com-
municate with us. I interact with many dierent people in a changing,
fast-paced work environment, and I credit much of my success to being
open to new ideas, being respecul to others, and to being willing to get
involved and try new things.
LaMetrice DopsonDirector AMI/DRIBaltimore Gas & Electric Co.
Stay Involved and Open to New Experiences
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Afro-American Newspapers February 26, 2011
By Valencia Mohammed and Zenitha Prince
True freedom for the millions
of African people enslaved
for centuries in America
which came after the Civil War and
emancipation on Dec. 6, 1865 came
with a heavy price. Not only did they
become so-called equals, Negroes
became competitors in the eyes of
their former oppressors. Many of
the arenas to which Whites held
exclusive rights before, including the
political arena, were being opened
to the formerly enslaved. Even the
Whites who supported Blacks during
the abolitionist movement were
unwilling to acknowledge the equality
of former slaves.
Many Blacks went from being slaves
to [becoming] Civil War soldiers and politicians,
said Frank Smith, director of the African American
War Museum in Washington, D.C. The Civil War
changed the lives of Black people dramatically.
Recounting an example of the era, Smith
recalled a slave named Capt. Robert Smalls from
South Carolina, who went from war hero to being
elected as a Republican congressman from South
Carolina, serving for 12 years.
Smalls and several others laid the framework
for a society for Black people, said Smith.
For several decades after the nation slowly
reconstructed itself, the Negro rose to
prominence. Blacks from around the country
looked for their place in society to represent the
rights of the downtrodden in local and national
political affairs.
But even before emancipation, Blacks had a
hand in the politics of the day, though that history
has been misrepresented and skewed, some say.
The roles played by Americans of African descent
in American political history, and American
History in general, have long been depicted
inaccurately and downplayed, said Douglas
Wilder, the rst Black governor of Virginia since
Reconstruction, in Rep. William L. Clays (D-Mo.)
book, Just Permanent Interests.
The truth is, the book argues, Negro slaves
were sought as advisors to many White leaders to
understand the political thinking of the Black
masses. In fact, many historians believe that if
Blacks had not risen in politics after the Civil War,
more unrest, rebellions and even White lynchings
may have occurred in retaliation for hundreds of
years of inhumane enslavement.
From Pulpits to Platforms
According to historians, Black churches laid the
foundation and forum for many men who sought a
career in politics. It was a natural progression for
them, said political historian Chuck Hicks. They
spoke to masses of people all the time.
They could galvanize a large group and
sway their opinions.
Beginning with the formation of the
American Methodist Episcopal Church
in 1816, the church was among one
of the rst things Blacks could claim
as their own, forming a basis for the
sense of self-sufciency and pride
that formed the central element of the
concept of Black freedom that fueled
sociopolitical activism.
According to Hicks, during
reconstruction there were many
uneducated Baptist preachers who
ran for political ofce as did their
Hiram
Revels
was
the rst
African-
American
U.S.
senator.
Black Politics after the Civil War
Continued on Page 6AFRO Archives Illustrations
A Civil
Warhero,
Capt.
A CivilWar hero,
Capt.Robert
Smallswenton to
representSouth
Carolina
inCongress.
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6 Character Education/Black History Month February 26, 2011
White counterparts, who may have been farmers,
sharecroppers and cattlemen. There were also the
educated Methodist ministers who ran for and
won political ofces, said Hicks.
When Republicans were indeed
the Grand Old Party
By 1860, there were 4,441,830
Black people in America representing
14 percent of the U.S. population.Republicans took control over most
of the Southern legislatures and
governorships after the Civil War and
elected Blacks to state and national
political ofces.
Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Black
minister and Civil War veteran, was
elected to ll the unexpired term of
the Confederate President Jefferson
Davis in the Mississippi legislature.Joseph H. Rainey, a barber by
profession, became involved in the
state Republican Party in Georgetown,
S.C., and was elected to the state senate.
By 1870, he was elected to ll a vacancy
in the U.S. House of Representatives.
He authored bills to protect Blacks from
the Klu Klux Klan. He remained for eight
years. Robert Brown Elliott and Robert C.
DeLarge were elected as Republicans representingSouth Carolina. Blanche K. Bruce was elected
to the Mississippi state senate. Josiah T. Wells
was elected in Florida to the U.S. House of
Representatives.
This leap in Black political involvement was
fueled largely by the efforts of the Republican
Party.
Republican President Abraham Lincoln took
a moderate approach, advocating both gradual
emancipation and Black suffrage. He instituted in
January 1865, the Freedmens Bureau, to ensure
new rights for the newly freed African Americans.
When Vice President Andrew Johnson took the
reins after Lincolns assassination, he loosened the
restrictions on the Southern state governments,
who quickly moved to institute Black codes,which offered only a limited set of second-class
civil rights to Blacks. In response, Sen. Lyman
Trumbull (R-Ill.) proposed the rst Civil Rights
law, saying the abolition of slavery was nullied
if laws are to be enacted and enforced depriving
persons of African descent of privileges which are
essential to freemen.
The bill asserted:
All persons born in the United States ... are
hereby declared to be citizens of the United States;
and such citizens of every race and color, without
regard to any previous condition of slavery ...shall have the same right in every state ... to make
and enforce contracts, to sue, be parties, and give
evidence, to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold,
and convey real and personal property, and to full
and equal benet of all laws and proceedings for
the security of person and property,
as is enjoyed by white citizens, and
shall be subject to like punishment,
pains, and penalties and to none
other, any law, statute, ordinance,regulation, or custom to the Contrary
notwithstanding.
Congress quickly passed the Civil
Rights bill; which Johnson vetoed.
In this he was supported by the
Democratic Party, which proclaimed
itself the party of White men. Congress
overrode the veto and instituted the
law. Between 1865 and 1873, Congress
passed three important legislations: the13th Amendment abolishing slavery; the
14th Amendment which was ratied in
1868 that guaranteed citizenship to all
persons born or naturalized in the United States,
except Native Americans, and granting them
federal civil rights and the 15th Amendment
passed in 1870, decreeing that the right to vote
could not be denied because of race, color, or
previous condition of servitude.
White Resistance and the Waning of Black
Political Power
According to historical records, in 1866, a
secret terrorist organization, the Ku Klux Klan led
underground resistance against the civil rights and
political power of newly freed slaves during the
Reconstruction Period. Attempts to enact Black
codes were squashed by Congress and the Civil
Rights Acts of 1866, on paper at least, gave Blacks
Many ministers used the pulpit as a platform for
sociopolitical advocacy, and many ministers becamethe congressmen and state delegates that represented
the Black community during Reconstruction.
AFROFileIllustration/T.S.Stockett
Continued on Page 14
Black Politics after the Civil WarContinued from Page 5
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Afro-American Newspapers February 26, 2011
By AFRO Staff
The Freedmens Bureau, advocated by Radical Republicans in
Congress, was incepted in 1865 following the Civil War, according
to the Encyclopedia of African-American Politics. Also known as
the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen
and Abandoned Lands, the group
assisted recently-freed slaves
in the South and the District of
Columbia and provided them
with food, medicine, shelter and
education, among a long list of
other contributions. The Bureau is
credited as the rst social-welfare
bureaucracy in the U.S.
According to the U.S. National
Archives, after the war ended,
nearly 4 million slaves were freed
and many of the Souths cities were
annihilated. As a result, Blacks
and many White plantation owners
were left virtually homeless and
hungry.
Though the bill to create the
Bureau was vetoed by Conservative
Republicans and some Democrats,
President Abraham Lincoln
supported it and the agency wascreated as a short-term, one-year
branch of the U.S. War Department.
Lincoln appointed Gen. Oliver
O. Howard to lead the Bureau
and the agency cleared many
achievements, despite heavy adversity. Though they were denied public
funding, the group received donations and rent acquired from lands it
occupied. They built hospitals for and provided medical care to over a million
newly freed men, according to the African American Registry. Additionally,
they allocated over 21 million rations to poor Blacks and Whites.
The Bureau also aspired to establish fair employment systems for Blacks
and plantation owners. Though they attempted to issue 40-acre plots of
abandoned lands to Blacks for them to lease and later buy, newly-appointed
President Andrew Johnson, who opposed the group, prevented this from
happening. As a result, Blacks
were not able to become farmers
and had to become sharecroppers
with their former owners.
However, many Blacks still
acquired their own land through
this system.
Among a long list of other
accomplishments, the groups
most celebrated achievement was
their construction of over 1,000
Black schools, thus breaking
ground for many of the nations
historically Black colleges
and universities. Additionally,
the group donated more than
$400,000 to implement teacher
development institutions.
The Bureau slowly began
to see its demise as President
Johnson aimed to dissolve the
group shortly after his entrance
into ofce. After he vetoed a
bill for its extension, Congress
overrode it and the group was able
to survive for another six years.
Critics believed the Bureau held
racial favoritism and deemed it
ineffective. They also accused the group of making Blacks reliant on handouts
rather than having self initiative and independence. Finally, after the Radical
Republicans and Congress continued efforts to keep the Bureau in existence,
it disbanded in 1872.
Photo Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
One in a series of racist posters attacking Radical Republicans on the
issue of Black suffrage, issued during the Pennsylvania gubernatorial
election of 1866.
After the Civil War
The Freedmens Bureau
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8 Character Education/Black History Month February 26, 2011
The Importance of Diligence and Reliability
Cheryl A.
Mickel, CFA
I began my career at T. Rowe Price as a trading assistant, processing trade ckets
for the rms mutual fund accounts. Wow, was that an eye-opening experience,seeing millions of dollars in transacons taking place every day! You bet that I was
really diligent adding up all those zeros and making sure that I didnt make any
mistakes with those large sums of money. I cant stress the importance of dili-
gence and reliability enough. Take care and pride in everything you do and soon
others will respect and value you.
As me passed and the number and size of accounts grew, the rm needed
another trader. That diligence paid o and this growth presented an opportunity
for me to grow as well. I worked with many great people who were willing to takethe me to answer my constant quesons and coach me about trading and the
markets. So, when the opportunity came about, I was ready to take on the new
and greater responsibility of trading. Dont be afraid of a challenge, stay alert and
keep yourself prepared (educaon!) so that opportunity doesnt pass you by.
Every experience is an opportunity to learn a lile about what the future has
to oer. You must design your own future by guring out where you want to be
and what you want to do (yes - goals!). Realiscally, not everything always goes
exactly as you plan; you will certainly encounter obstacles along the way - dicultpeople, dicult situaons, occasional setbacks. Just remember to stay focused
and try get around those obstacles with grace -- always treang others fairly and
keeping your words and temper in check. Some challenges are more important
than others. Dont try to take them all on!
Its been over 20 years and I now manage porolios of my own for our clients at T.
Rowe Price. I have had so many opportunies here that I was not only eager to take
on, but fortunately, for which I was well prepared, too. I went to college and while
working here I also earned a Masters degree in Business as well as received the Char-
tered Financial Analyst designaon. This was a lot of work, but I could never have
accomplished any of my goals without perseverance and focus And you can rest
assured; I am sll quite diligent about counng all those zeros!
Vice Presidentand Portfolio Manager,T. Rowe PriceFixed Income Division
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Afro-American Newspapers February 26, 2011
By Shernay Williams
AFRO Staff Writer
After Abraham Lincoln ordered
emancipation of the Souths slaves in
1863, the newly freed people, many of
whom had spent their entire lives in shackles, had
to learn what it meant to be free.For we colored people did not know how
to be free and the white people did not know
how to have a free colored person about them,
the recently freed Houston Hartseld Holloway
famously wrote.
Blacks now had to nd places to live and
adjust to being independent actors in an
economy. Many elected to stay on the plantations
where they had been enslaved and work for their
former masters.They stayed for all kinds of reasons but one
of the things, many of them had lived a long time
in these places and they didnt want to give up all
they had built and achieved there, said Michael
Johnson, Black migration expert and professor at
Johns Hopkins University.
It is difcult to estimate how many Blacks
remained on the same plantation. Most of those
that left remained in rural areas and performed
labor jobs. Many went from one farm orplantation to anothertrying to get a decent
landlord, Johnson said.
Although the majority of freed slaves endured
the same type of physical labor and nature of
work as when they were enslaved, they now
held annual contracts. These agreements entitled
the heads of householdsmostly mento have
some control over the labor he and his family
endured, Johnson noted.
When the 13th Amendment was ratied in
January 1865, the million or so Blacks in the
northern states, who were still considered slaves
after emancipation, were declared free. While
Black southerners looked for new homes, the
newly freed northerners traveled to the South by
the thousands searching for separated loved ones,according to a PBS special called Africans in
America.
Some White southerners remained bitter and
vengeful after the fall of their most protable
industry. Even when the booming slave business
was legal, working southerners were relatively
poor, so after its demise their economic situation
grew bleaker.
In addition, the common people were hit hard
by wartime scarcity,
said PBS. By 1863,
there was a food
shortage. Riots and
strikes occurred
as ination soared
and people becamedesperate.
So, Blacks had to
contend with racism and few opportunities for
work.
While some remained in the South, others left
in droves for northern and western states. Census
documents from 1890 include data and picture
graphs of Black migration in the 60s and 70s.
After the Civil War
Black Townships and Migration
Free at last, free at last,thank God Almighty,
Im free at last. This
group of former slavesis shown immediately
after the EmancipationProclamation outside
one of the cabins that
housed them on asouthern plantation.
Continued on Page 14
Photo Courtesy Library of Congress
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10 Character Education/Black History Month February 26, 2011
Nadia Hogarth
Life is a Rollercoaster Ride
Legal SpecialistLegg Mason
The legal eld is intricate and dynamic, and I have alwayshad a passion for law. Through hard work and dedica-
on, I am now an integral part of the legal team at Legg
Mason. However, the structure needed to be success-
ful was developed early in my life. There were lessons
taught - stu like, algebra and chemistry, and then there
were lessons learned through behavior during my roll-
ercoaster years. Below are the ones that most impacted
my life:
BAD = procrastnaton. Whenever I put o studying, ar-rived late for sports pracce or, beer yet, chose to goof
o with my friends instead of doing my house chores,
the results were: I earned low grades, got kicked o the
badminton team and received less allowance.
FAILURE = low grades. Once I had goen the idea that
pung things o can result in bad things happening, I
straightened up. I was driven to earn the best grade. I
became the teachers pet; a C or D grade was no
longer cool for me. I took pride in doing my chores at home.
FRIENDSHIP = good or bad. They say be yourself, but what does that
mean? Usually, it means making changes in your life. Well, I joined a
sports team that I liked and not because of my friends. I was dedi-
cated and punctual at every training session. I became disciplined in
my studies, which resulted in earning good grades, but did not always
impress my friends.
IDENTITY = discoveries/recogniton. My atude changes meant I lost
some friends, but there is always a group that ts perfectly with thenew you. I developed dignity. I realized if I wanted to be success-
ful, all I had to do was work hard and apply myself. School sharp-
ens your skills, but seldom taps into your most powerful reserve of
all: PASSION. If you want to be happy, get involved in something you
love, and think posively. Atude sets the tone of your abilies. If
you believe you can do something, chances are YOU really can.
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Afro-American Newspapers February 26, 2011
All I Have Is My Education
Rachel Pluviose
Assistant Manager, CorporateInsurance DepartmentLegg Mason
My father always told us, Make sure you complete your educaon. You may
have everything taken away from you, but the one thing no one can take
from you is your educaon. Educaon, according to my father, was nishing
college or obtaining a masters degree or Ph.D. He knew rst-hand that a
college educaon creates endless opportunies in life.
My father immigrated to America from Hai in 1969 with ve Haian dollars
in his pocket, the clothes on his back and his mothers address (who was the
only family member he had in America). His most important asset was his
educaon, which he used to get the jobs he needed to support and provide
for his growing family. His belief in educaon was so great that we lived in
the projects of Brooklyn, N.Y., so that he could aord to send us to private
schools. Through his example, he taught all of his children to realize and
understand the importance of educaon.
As I grew up, I realized that educaon is the cket to achieve anything in this
world. We may not all have the physical abilies or talents to become great
athletes or musicians, but we all have the ability to apply ourselves in school.I made sure that I had good grades in school and graduated at the top of my
high school class. I received a full academic scholarship to Howard Univer-
sity, majored in business and had several job oers upon graduaon.
My educaon has aorded me the opportunity to work for some great com-
panies, including Legg Mason, where I am currently an assistant manager in
our Corporate Insurance Department. I am able to travel and meet interest-
ing people through work and in my personal life. Educaon made it possible
for me to have and maintain a job in a dicult economy, and to dothe things in life I truly enjoy. If a child of Haian immigrants, born
and raised in the projects of Brooklyn can accomplish this much,
so can anyone else who applies themselves and nishes their
educaon.
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12 Character Education/Black History Month February 26, 2011
By AFRO Staff
F
or those who supported and thrived on the brutish institution of
slavery, ignorance among the enslaved was a valuable weapon.
Believing that slaves could not be enlightened without developing
in them a longingfor liberty, not a few masters
maintained that the more brutish
the bondmen the more pliant
they become for purposes of
exploitation, wrote Carter G.
Woodson in The Education of
the Negro Prior to 1861.
And to perpetuate that
ignorance, slaveholders often
inicted severe punishment,in the form of nes and
imprisonment, on anyone found
teaching slaves to read and
write or on any slave found
committing that grave sin.
Conversely, knowledge was a
treasured and indispensable tool
to enslaved African Americans
in their struggle for freedom
and equality. Enslaved Blacksoften put themselves at grave
risk, meeting in secret, to learn
to read and write. Still, the
system of slavery was adept at
suppressing Black education,
so much so that over 90 percent
of the adult Black population in the Southern states was illiterate in 1860 at
the start of the Civil War, according to the Encyclopedia of African-American
Politics.
For that reason, early Black education in the United States was
concentrated among free men and women. And after the Civil War, it was this
inaugural Talented Tenth that worked with Northern White missionaries
who saw education as a means of spreading the Christian faith to Blacks and
philanthropists to advance education among Blacks.
But the former slaves werenot mere supplicants, according
to the Encyclopedia. The black
community, although hindered by
poverty, contributed signicantly
to the development of early black
education, it stated. In all of the
Southern states the black church and
other organizations solicited funds
to establish schools. In some parts of
the South, the schools organized byblacks were the rst to be established
in a town or village.
But Black communities or poor
White ones for that matter could
not afford the cost of sustaining
private schools. And it took
Reconstruction-era governments,
working mainly through The
Freedmens Bureau, a federal entity
created to serve the needs of theformer slaves and poor Whites after
the War, to advance education to the
Black masses. As one of its greatest
legacies, the Bureau established a
system of free public schools for
Blacks throughout the South, stafng
them mainly with White teachers from the North. The Bureau also founded
historically Black institutions such as Atlanta, Fisk and Howard universities.
The education program lasted until 1872 when support for the Bureau and
Continued on Page 14
Photo Courtesy Library of Congress
One of the principal tasks of the Bureau of Freedmen, Refugees, andAbandoned Lands was to educate the 4 million former slaves after the Civil
War. Over the course of ve years, the bureau built over 4,000 schools
in the South. This engraving from Frank Leslies Illustratedshows aFreedmens Bureau schoolroom in Virginia.
After the Civil War
Black Education
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Afro-American Newspapers February 26, 2011
Determinaon is the act of being persistent in order to reach a parcu-
lar goal. It is an important character trait. Unfortunately, determinaon,
as with other esteemed character traits, is something that is not easily
taught. Some are fortunate and seem determined and focused from an
early age. We have all heard stories of those who are very successful who
became so because they would not give up, even under dicult circum-
stances. For others, determinaon is a trait or an atude that is acquired
through life experiences.
Very early in my professional career, I was given the opportunity to work
on a challenging and excing project. The team worked diligently to ac-
complish the task at hand. Unexpectedly, when the work was complete,
the end result was not as expected. The problems were extensive. Being
so young, the experience aected me deeply since I hadnt personally ex-
perienced that kind of professional disappointment. I didnt know how to
react and began to have self doubts. As pressure mounted, my immediate
inclinaon was defensive, wanng nothing more than to remove myself
from the project. However, I had team members who were supporve and
wanted, foremost, to focus on nding a soluon. They were calm during
the crisis and remained respecul of others. Their example allowed me to
put the situaon in proper perspecve, and I became determined to con-
tribute to the success of the project. With a new focus and sense of deter-
minaon, I stayed with the project; learned from the mistakes that were
made; connued to work relessly; and, ulmately, helped with making
the eort a success.
For me, there were many lessons to be learned or rearmed from that experience.
Integrity, civility, and paence all come to mind, and these are all excellent character
traits to make your own. What I learned most from that experience, however, was
determinaon. Looking back, I clearly see that it was determinaon that took me
from a point of wanng to give up on the project to being a contributor to the nal
soluon. Determinaon helped me to overcome fears and to focus
on nishing the work. That experience became a dening moment,
as it helped me to understand the type of atude required to be
successful. As you embark upon your academic and professional
career, I encourage you to be purposeful in your decisions and de-
termined to follow through even when circumstances present an
unexpected challenge.
Determination Will See You Through
Mark StirlingSystems EngineerT. Rowe Price
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14 Character Education/Black History Month February 26, 2011
equal standing with their former
masters, a truth that many Whites
could not swallow. The Klans goal,
then, was to reestablish the dominance
of the pre-war plantation aristocracy.
The Klans creation was a centerpiece
of widespread protest, mostly violent,
by the former planter aristocracy
against Blacks.
But it was economics thateventually caused the demise of Black
political involvement. Economic
depression turned public opinion away
from the sociopolitical plight of the
Negro. The Republican Party began
to split. And dissident Republicans
(called scalawags), disgusted by
the corruption, high taxes and high
state debts of Republican President
Ulysses Grants administration, joinedex-Confederates (Democrats) in
regaining control of state legislatures
and putting an end to the system
instituted by radical Republicanism.
Even Black leaders began to focus,
less on political progress, and more
on individual economic progress like
many of the White elite.
That period, from 1873-1877,
known as the Redemption, saw a
wane in Black political inuence.
Blacks continued to vote and were
elected into the 1880s. But after
1901, when George Henry White,
the last Southern Black of the post-Reconstruction period to serve
in Congress, retired, not a single
Black served in Congress until 1966
when Edward Brooke was elected
to represent Massachusetts in the
Senate. And the consequent institution
of Jim Crow laws, a philosophy of
segregation, ushered in one of the
darkest periods in Black history.
** The AFRO appreciates the assistance of thestaff of the Martin Luther King Library Black
Studies Division.This article was originally published inthe AFRO, February 17, 2007 edition underthe headline, The Political Language ofFreedom.
Black PoliticsContinued from Page 6
Black TownshipsContinued from Page 9The graphs show their increased movement to urban areas in the north
such as New York City, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago and Missouri.
The pattern thins out but is still discernible in Western states including
Oklahoma, New Mexico and California.
After the 1860s, the Black population in free states had increased by 50
percent, indicating a sizable Black exodus from the south, said Johnson.
But Blacks battled opposition in the northern states, as well. The
North was also hit by economic depression, and enraged White people
rioted against African Americans, who they accused of stealing their jobs,
according to Africans in America.While some traveled to the Northeast, a large number migrated to mid-
western states. Blacks and other races, attracted to the relatively cheap and
available land, ocked to these areas. The rural labor was also comparable
to the work former slaves were accustomed.
From 1879-1880, about 20,000 Blacks, called exodusters, migrated
to some part of Kansas, said PBS. One such group of migrant ex-slaves
traveled from Kentucky to northwestern Kansas. Six Blacks and two
Whites established the Nicodemus community in 1877. At one point,
the area thrived with about 500 residents. Nicodemus, now a registered
national historic site, is the only remaining western town established byBlacks during Reconstruction.
The more than 180,000 Black men, who had served as union soldiers
in the war, had the most resources to migrate. The Army helped many
of these men resettle in the mid-western states, and after a great deal of
agitation, their pay had become comparable to Whites by the end of the
War, Johnson said.
Many of these men had an opportunity to move to some place and start
a life there because they had a little bit of money, he said. More money
than frankly poor farmers and laborers had even outside the slave system.
Still others set sights on Liberia. During the last three years of the1870s, approximately 388 Blacks voyaged to West Africa, most leaving
from the Carolinas or Arkansas, according to the historical book Nation
Under Our Feet.
The turn of the century would see even more Black migration. During
World War I, some 500,000 southern Blacks would travel to northern cities
in search of factory jobs. Then, from 1916 to 1970, more than six million
Blacks would abandon the South. By the end of those periods known
as the great and second great migrations, almost half of all Blacks lived
outside of the South.
goodwill that fueled Reconstruction began to wane.
The system of public education
though hailed by many within the
Black community as a signicant
step toward universal Black
education was nonetheless founded
on principles of White supremacy
and inequality. The 1896 Supreme
Court decision, Plessy v. Ferguson
enshrined the idea of separate butequal in all matters relating to Blacks
and Whites, including education.
However, history shows that while the
mandate to separateness was rmly
enforced, equality in education
and otherwise would be an ongoing
struggle that sparked the Civil Rights
Movement and continues to be a
problem today.
Black EducationContinued from Page 12
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Afro-American Newspapers February 26, 2011
Icy - Its More Than Just a Name
Icy BartonConsultant, Maryland Consumer
and Sales DepartmentVerizon
My name is Icy Barton and I am Verizons last line of defense. Iwork as a consultant in our Maryland Consumer and Sales de-
partment specializing in retaining our customers.
I began my career with Verizon in 1998 as service representave
in collecons. Thanks to Verizons tuion assistance program,
I earned my masters of business administraon (MBA) degree
in 2007 from Washington Advenst University. People always
ask me how I got a name like Icy. My job requires that I talk to
hundreds of people every week and to remain cool and posive.
A typical day might include a customers yelling at me or, even
worse, trying to bully me. I listen to what they say and dont
take it personally. Instead, I tell them how I am going to x their
problem.
In my spare me, I visit a nursing home once a month because
our senior cizens are great to be around. I am member of Toast-
masters, a nonprot organizaon that helps me to strengthen my
speaking ability. I also am a solider in the Army Reserves. Last
year, I wrote and directed my rst play, Welcome Home, The Story
of the Prodigal Son. I even used real pigs in the play.
The best character trait that has been inslled in me is integrity.
Watching my parents gave me the best example. No one wants to
deal with a dishonest person. Integrity will help you live long and pros-
per. Its essenal in achieving success not only in business but with your
relaonships, family and friends.
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16 Character Education/Black History Month February 26, 2011
Afro-American NewspapersCharacter Education Essay Contest
T
he Afro-American Newspapers Character Education
Contest was launched 14 years ago to promote
positive character development among the nations
leaders of tomorrow our youth.We believe good character has to be taught and
modeled, which is why we have chosen to prole local corporate
professionals and business leaders in our publication.
Te featured individuals, time and time again, incorporate positive
character traits such as honesty, respect, responsibility, courage
and perseverance in their everyday lives, proving to be positive role
models in their community.
For the contest, students are asked to read the featured proles
and choose the one that inspires them most to incorporate positive
character traits in their own lives. Students should then write an essay
that best explains why they chose the article and how they plan to use
what theyve learned to shape their future.
Essays should be between two and four pages in length (double-spaced) and must be typed.
Essays will be judged on neatness, grammar, punctuation and the
students ability to give insight on what they learned from the prole.
Judges are impartial volunteers and may include teachers, sta from
local colleges and universities and the editorial sta at the AFRO.
For more information concerning the Afro-American Newspapers
Character Education Contest, please contact: Diane Hocker,
410-554-8243.
Deadline: April 8, 2011Mail typed essays to
:Diane Hocker Afro-American Newspapers2519 N. Charles Street Baltimore, Md. 21218
or e-mail them to:
No faxes will be accepted
Cash prizes to be awarded
Eighth-Graders Only