Born a slave on a plantation in Franklin County, Virginia in 1856 Booker T Washington was no stranger to prejudice and the harsh realities for a black man growing up in the south. His childhood was one of privation, poverty, slavery and backbreaking work. On September 22, 1862 Lincoln issued The Emancipation Proclamation, but of course it could not be enforced until the end of the Civil War in 1865. Soon after Washington and his mother moved to Malden, …showed first 75 words of 2463 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2463 total…reaction of blacks who felt their rightful home was right here in the states. Where we stand today as a community, I believe we would do well under the tutelage of Washington. We need a strong economic backbone in the black community. That would give us more political power and would also infuse more pride into the community. Once we have this economic, political and racial power, we may be able to achieve upward mobility.