Freedom has never been a gift. It has always been an act of courage, strategy, and resistance. This Black History Month feature traces the fight for liberation through the lives of Robert Smalls and Bayard Rustin, and through the uprising at Attica Prison—revealing how each moment exposed the limits of American freedom. By connecting these histories to today’s policy debates, the story reminds us that freedom must be claimed, protected, and practiced in every generation.
References
Robert Smalls
National Park Service. “Robert Smalls.” Smithsonian Magazine. Terrorized African Americans Found Their Champion in Robert Smalls. PBS. Which Slave Sailed Himself to Freedom?
Bayard Rustin
Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University. “Bayard Rustin.” National Museum of African American History and Culture. “Bayard Rustin Biography.”
Attica Prison Uprising
Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Attica Prison Uprising.” American Friends Service Committee. History of the Attica Uprising. JSTOR Daily. After Attica: The McKay Report.
