https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2930.html
Born in Wilmington, North Carolina was me, a young David Walker. My mother raised me, as a free woman, while my father died (enslaved) before getting the chance. My mother taught me from a young age that everything happens for a reason because had my father been alive to this day, I would have inherited his status as a slave. While I did feel lucky to not be enslaved, that did not stop me from witnessing the horrid truth that was slavery. Oftentimes, I found it hard to bear the treatment of my people simply for their skin color. I could not remain where I must hear slaves.
As I grew older I wanted to feel a stronger connection to a community of activists, so I moved to Charleston which became a hotspot for free blacks. Soon I became affiliated with an African Methodist Episcopal Church which was the first black denomination of the United States. While I enjoyed my time in Charleston, I decided I wanted to experience Northern culture and move to Boston in 1825.
While Boston was nothing like the south regarding racism, it was nowhere near perfect. African American children were forced to attend schools with lower rankings and African Americans were not allowed to serve on juries. On the other hand, I was able to start my very own secondhand clothing shop which became very successful especially for a Black man that did not have many advantages in this life. Levels of activism in Boston were high which fueled my passion for fighting for what I knew in my heart was right.
As I became more comfortable in Boston, I began attending more churches, speaking out, and getting my point across. Leading slaves to freedom, opposing colonization of African Americans, and speaking out against slavery was my specialty. By the end of 1828, many considered me to be Boston’s leading spokesperson against slavery.
What would my next step be? My mother always taught me to never be comfortable, always push for greatness and never settle. My goal has always been to make my parents proud especially my dad since he never got the chance to raise me. I wanted him to look down and be proud of the man I have become regardless of what I have been through. I began to ask myself the question, how can I educate a mass number of people on my beliefs? Then it dawned on me, I should publish. First I began with publishing my appeal to African Americans entitled, “Walker’s Appeal, in Four Articles; Together with a Preamble to the Colored Citizens of the World, but in Particular, and Very Expressly, to Those of the United States of America, Written in Boston, State of Massachusetts, September 28,1829.” In this piece, I highlighted core issues, call to action, white Americans, and black nationalism. The reaction of this piece was a mix. Many felt it was “too radical”, many southerners made efforts to keep my piece from free and enslaved African Americans. While the immediate reaction had a rocky start, the lasting influence was even greater. Several abolitionists such as Frederick Douglas, MLK Jr., Nat Turner, and Malcolm X would later be influenced by my work.
https://www.boston.gov/news/david-walker-bostons-fiery-anti-slavery-writer
I never settled, I never got comfortable, I always strived for greatness and to be better than the day before. I encourage you all to do that as I encouraged my one and only daughter before she passed just last week. I missed the chance to get to tell my beloved Lydia Ann the story of my life, so I am telling you all.
Sincerely, David Walker
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