Today commemorates National Freedom Day—an observance that honors the signing of a resolution that proposed the 13th amendment to the United States Constitution on February 1, 1865. President Abraham Lincoln signed the resolution to outlaw slavery.
Major Richard Robert Wright Senior, a former slave who founded the National Freedom Day Association, played a crucial role in creating the observance. Major Wright—a community leader in Philadelphia who was active in education, the media, business and politics—hoped to see a day that would be dedicated to celebrating freedom for all Americans. That day came with the first commemoration on February 1, 1942. Then in 1948, President Harry Truman signed a bill to proclaim February 1 as the first official National Freedom Day in the United States.
So, what does National Freedom Day mean to me? Over the past few years, I’ve learned a lot about my privilege as a white guy…and Tim Wise’s White Like Me was instrumental in the beginning of my journey.
Click here for an overview of Tim Wise’s “Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son”