Booker T. Washington born on this day....
- Brother Trice | Instagram @MajorityReport
- Apr 5, 2017
- 1 min read
161 years ago a great Black man was born... Booker Taliaferro Washington aka Booker T. Washington. Born April 5th, 1856 an American educator, author, orator, and advisor to presidents of the United States and most importantly Booker T Washington was a dominant leader in the African-American community.
Washington was a key proponent of African-American businesses and one of the founders of the National Negro Business League. His base was the Tuskegee Institute, a historically black college in Alabama.
Before his passing in 1915, he called for black progress through education and entrepreneurship, rather than trying to challenge directly the Jim Crow segregation and the disenfranchisement of black voters in the South. Washington mobilized a nationwide coalition of middle-class blacks, church leaders, and white philanthropists and politicians, with a long-term goal of building the community's economic strength and pride by a focus on self-help and schooling. But, secretly, he also supported court challenges to segregation and restrictions on voter registration, passing on funds to the NAACP for this purpose
Booker T. Washington mastered the nuances of the political arena in the late 19th century, which enabled him to manipulate the media, raise money, develop strategy, network, push, reward friends, and distribute funds, while punishing those who opposed his plans for uplifting blacks. His long-term goal was to end the disenfranchisement of the vast majority of African Americans, who then still lived in the South.
Happy Birthday Ancestor Booker T. Washington
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