243 Years Later, We Endure
On August 26th, my world changed in a few different ways. After nearly 14 months leading all things Social Media for the largest privately-held company in the Medical Cannabis industry, I was being laid off. That alone is a scary enough moment, and only becomes amplified in the middle of record-level unemployment in conjunction with a global pandemic.
Not even before I had 6 hours to process this new change in my life, something bigger happened on that day that affected me, specifically as a Black man living in America. Players in the NBA, WNBA, MLB, and professional tennis player, Naomi Osaka, effectively all went on strike to raise awareness around social justice and racial equity, refusing to play in their respective sports.
Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida.
This mass strike across multiple major sports professions was all sparked by the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team deciding to sit out of a playoff game to raise awareness around the shooting of James Blake and those individuals who lost their lives in Kenosha at the hands of a murderer.
I tried to focus my energy on finding my next career opportunity; however, as a Black man living in America, I can't put what's going on regarding racial and economic justice on hold. At times like this, I think of a quote from Trevor Noah, "Time and time again, Black people have seen the contract they have signed with society, is not being honored by the society that has forced them to sign that contract."
Everyday citizens are fed up; athletes are fed up, suburban moms are fed up, and young adults in rural areas are fed up. There will always be people saying, "This isn't the right way to do this." But we have a chance to push for real change here. Like anything else in life, we have to choose "Comfort or Growth?"‘
Even now, I think of how African-Americans have been fighting for equality for hundreds of years, and it still feels like we're decades away from true equality. I think about one of my ancestors, who had to buy their freedom and whose entrepreneurial spirit is recognized today.
I'm talking about my Great x5 Grandfather, Free Frank McWorter, and he was the first African American to found a town in the United States. Born in 1777 in South Carolina, Frank McWorter lived as a slave for 42 years and spent years planning his freedom.
Free Frank McWorter - Courtesy of National History Museum of American History
That's right; Frank McWorter was born enslaved nearly two months after the United States of America was born. In 1817, at the age of 40, he had earned enough money to buy his wife's freedom, and two years later, his freedom. In 1836, he later founded New Philadelphia, IL, becoming the 1st African-American to establish a town in U.S. history.
My Grandmother, Dr. Juliet E.K. Walker, worked tirelessly to get his story told, founding the Free Frank New Philadelphia Historic Preservation Foundation. The goal of "The Foundation" is to preserve and bring to the public information about the extraordinary life antebellum African-American pioneer businessman and entrepreneur.
Dr. Juliet E.K. Walker, founder/director, is the author of the only scholarly study that details the life of Free Frank as both a slave and freedman, his founding of New Philadelphia, and his activities as a proprietor to promote its growth. Dr. Walker's book, Free Frank: A Black Pioneer on the Antebellum Frontier (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1983, 1995), a carefully researched study, provides the only documented information on Free Frank economic life and his town of New Philadelphia.
Free Frank: A Black Pioneer on the Antebellum Frontier
The mission of the Foundation is to capture the significance of Free Frank as a historical figure, and as a basis to further serious inquiry into the historical continuity of African-American entrepreneurship. Including slave and free, Black men and women who lived in the United States during the age of slavery.
Through intensive lobbying and effort, Dr. Walker had the gravesite of her great-great-grandfather declared a National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Free Frank's gravesite is one of three in Illinois listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The other two are President Abraham Lincoln and Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas. The Free Frank New Philadelphia Historic Preservation Foundation has launched plans to restore the Free Frank Family Cemetery and film a documentary on the life and history of Free Frank and New Philadelphia, Illinois.
The geographic location of New Philadelphia, Illinois. Courtesy of Department of Anthropology University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
She even started a website back in the early 2000s (I should ask Grandma for the keys to update the site) to raise awareness of this American entrepreneur. It took decades of hard work, but President Barrack Obama finally listened. President Obama's support led to New Philadelphia's designation as a National Historic Landmark (p. 709).
3 Generations of the McWorter Family
I am fortunate to have the ability to trace my ancestors' journey in this country, all the way back to 1777. Many Black people in America are not as fortunate, which can weigh on someone both mentally and spiritually. And yet, people who look like me still hear "Go back where you came from" from people who don't look like me. Good thing I'm already home.
My family has fought for equality and a better life since the founding of our country. And on August 27th, 2020, I plan on continuing that fight for those before and after me.
For more information about Free Frank McWorter, and my Grandmother's work, click here.
