He was born into slavery on April 5, 1856 on the tobacco farm of James Burroughs, the son of a black mother and a white man from a nearby farm.
In April of 1865 the Emancipation Proclamation was read to joyful slaves in front of Burroughs' farm, setting them free. Booker took a job in a salt mine, starting his day at 4:00 in the morning so he could attend school later in the day.
When he was 16 he walked much of the 500 miles to the Hampton Institute, a new school for black students where he could continue his education. He became an instructor there and later went on to found a secondary school for black students in Tuskegee, Alabama, and built it into a respected university. Follow the link to Booker T. Washington, and Tuskegee University.
Schools all over the country are named in his honor. Tulsa has a Booker T. Washington High School which was the scool for black students back when Tulsa's schools were segregated. It is now a magnet school drawing the best students of all races from all over Tulsa.
After the park we came back to relax at Alan and Virginia's house and enjoy their good cooking. Another nice day.
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3 comments:
Booker T. Washington was quite the guy especially considering how much harder it was for black people to make their way back then.
Thanks for bringing the story of Booker T Washington to my attention, you see this is the main reason I read blogs. I find so many fantastic stories and pieces of history that I otherwise just would not come across. Excellent post.
I like what you mentioned about the Booker T. Washington. It's great to see times have changed (thanks God!).
Lovely set... looks so peaceful!
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