BHS Day 19: Charles Reason

Hi! For our third ELM Spotlight of the month, I chose someone in the Education part of the Spotlight. Today's entrant focused on a mix of things throughout his career--education, activism and art through his books and poetry. In all three of those areas, he was able to make an impact during a time where Blacks down South weren't even free yet. He is definitely an unsung hero of the mid-1800s; being up North gave him opportunities, however limited, that others did not have and he often doesn't get the credit he deserves for it. I didn't get to hear about Black professionals who were making a difference before the end of the Civil War, but today's entrant was. 

Name: Charles Lewis Reason, 1818-1964 Profession: Mathematician, educator, activist Why is the Spotlight on him today? For his dedication to civil rights, creating opportunities for himself during an extremely racially segregated time, and breaking barriers for Blacks in the Northern part of the country Notables:
--was the first Black teacher of a primarily white college, when he was an educator at the Free Mission College (which was later renamed New York Central College)
--became a teacher at 14
--at one time, taught five different languages in addition to math
--helped create the New York State Convention for African-American Suffrage, which he served as secretary of
--became an administrator for schools in New York City after co-founding the Society for the Promotion of the Promotion of Education among Colored Children, which oversaw Black schools in the city
--was a student at the New York African Free School, a school created to help Black children receive education
--helped campaign for Black men to receive voter rights
--was the executive secretary of the New York Political Improvement Association, which helped give Blacks the right to have a jury trial for state criminal cases
--was a main contributor to the Negro Convention Movement and later served as secretary of the convention
--used his skill with mathematics to deliver a paper to the New York State Labor Union with statistical proof that Blacks were able to prosper as a direct result of education
--was principal of the Institute for Colored Youth (which was renamed Cheyney State University) in Philadelphia, where he increased student enrollment, expanded the school's library, showed the students who prolific and influential Black leaders and professionals were, and eventually helped lead the school to being voted one of the best Black schools in the country
--served on New York's Citizen Civil Rights Committee, which lobbied the state legislature for Blacks to receive civil rights
--was part of the successful campaign by educators and activists to end racial segregation in New York's public schools
--was part of a mass demonstration against colonization
--had one of his poems, "Freedom," published in a 1849 biography of the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson
--at one time had the longest tenure of all the educators in the local school system and was an educator for over 40 years in total

Further reading links:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4


Quote of the Day: 
"O! purify each holy court! The ministry of law and light! That man, no longer, may be bought To trample down his brother's right.
We lift imploring hands to Thee! We cry for those in prison bound! O! in Thy strength, come! Liberty! And 'stablish right the wide world round.
We pray to see Thee, face to face: To feel our souls grow strong and wide: So ever shall our injured race, By Thy firm principles abide."

--an excerpt of "Freedom," by Charles Lewis Reason