In today’s moment in Black History, we will highlight Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915).
Born enslaved in Beaufort, South Carolina, young Robert grew up around the docks. By his early twenties he was a trusted pilot on the CSS Planter, a Confederate transport ship docked in Charleston Harbor. The white officers trusted him completely…right up until the night they shouldn’t have.
Sixteen people walked off that vessel free men and women. The North hailed Smalls as a hero; the South called him a thief. That summer, he traveled to Washington, D.C., where he met President Abraham Lincoln at the White House. Smalls urged Lincoln to let Black men enlist in the Union Army, sharing his own daring escape as proof of their courage and resolve. Lincoln, previously hesitant, was moved…the meeting helped shift policy, leading soon after to authorization for raising Black regiments, including the 1st and 2nd South Carolina Colored Volunteers.
He went on to captain the same ship for the Union Navy, becoming the first Black man ever to command a U.S. vessel…and later served five terms in Congress, fighting for public schools, civil rights, and the vote.
One daring night turned a slave into a congressman, and reminded the country that freedom sometimes arrives wearing a stolen hat and a smile.
Remember…Education is freedom of mind and never should be colorblind.
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