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From Enslavement to Congress and Back

Presented by the National Park Service

2020-10-22 15:00:00 2020-10-22 16:15:00 America/New_York From Enslavement to Congress and Back Join us for a talk by National Park Service Ranger Kenya Finley on trailblazing African Americans who served in Congress as some of nation's most prominent advocates of racial equality. Virtual -

Thursday, October 22
3:00pm - 4:15pm

Add to Calendar 2020-10-22 15:00:00 2020-10-22 16:15:00 America/New_York From Enslavement to Congress and Back Join us for a talk by National Park Service Ranger Kenya Finley on trailblazing African Americans who served in Congress as some of nation's most prominent advocates of racial equality. Virtual -

Join us for a talk by National Park Service Ranger Kenya Finley on trailblazing African Americans who served in Congress as some of nation's most prominent advocates of racial equality.

For a few years between Reconstruction and the beginning of the Jim Crow era, African Americans rode a wave of reform to some of the most important political offices in the land. Roughly 2,000 blacks took office on the state, local and federal level, and nearly a dozen former slaves served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. These trailblazers faced mistreatment and intimidation from both the public and their fellow lawmakers, but they also served as some of the nation’s most prominent advocates of racial equality. From a former manservant to a little-known Civil War veteran, meet five men who rose up from slavery to become part of the United States’ first generation of black congressmen.

This program will take place by Zoom. Registration is required. After registering, you will be e-mailed the link to join this Zoom meeting. A Zoom account is not required, but a microphone is required if you want to participate in the interactive portion of this program. 

If you have questions about the program or need help with set up, please reach out to Caroline at cpak@alexlibraryva.org

Venue details


Please register for this event.