Race Unity: Ferdinand L. Barnett: May 9, 1879

As Black Reconstruction was about to end in this nation Ferdinand L. Barnett spoke to the need for racial unity. Ferdinand Barnett was maybe more known as the husband of Ida Wells Barnett the emphatic voice and power against lynching but he was truly more than that. In this speech he addressed many complex issues we still face in our community more than 140 years later. As we enter what many said is a new era of Black Reconstruction we must revisit the words of our ancestors and learn from them. I present today Ferdinand L. Barnett’s words from 1879 with a hope that our communities will listen intently to them to gain knowledge and direction towards some real semblance of racial unity. This is the Blackman Read Aloud Hour Project taking the opportunity to share some history and knowledge to my supporters and those who may have first learned about my aim. That being the elevation of black knowledge and the uplift of black universal literacy in all of our communities.