Sullivan for Gahanna

"History cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again" -Maya Angelou

https://www.facebook.com/AtlasSociety/photos/a.10150124236450351/10159080284870351

Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It.

Got A Moment? https://bit.ly/2Z0mO5o

"Madam Walker, it turns out, wasn't just selling products that made black women feel and look more beautiful: She was also selling financial and economic independence and empowerment to the very same women."...

The story of America's first female millionaire Before there was Mary Kay, there was Madam C.J. Walker, who went from being a child of slaves and an uneducated washerwoman to a millionaire.

"On this day in history, February 23, 1870, Republican Senator Hiram Revels began his term in the United States Senate. Senator Revels was the first black man to serve in the U.S. Senate and took the seat that was held by Senator Jefferson Davis, who was President of the Confederate States."
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=5057900917626522&id=116757605074236

On this day in history, February 23, 1870, Republican Senator Hiram Revels began his term in the United States Senate. Senator Revels was the first black man to serve in the U.S. Senate and took the seat that was held by Senator Jefferson Davis, who was President of the Confederate States.

Senator Revels, who represented Mississippi, was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He was taught by a free black woman and moved to Indiana to complete his education. During the Civil War, Senator Revels, who was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, recruited black soldiers, for the Union Army, and served as a chaplain.

During his career in Congress, Senator Revels supported limited amnesty for Confederate soldiers in the form of denying them the right to run for public office. Senator Revels believed that if they regained political power, the former confederates would re-enslave blacks and rebel against the federal government again.

Revels also served in the Mississippi state senate.

"Columbus, Ohio native Granville T. Woods was a prolific inventor with more than 60 patents to his credit. His most famous invention, which he patented in 1887, was the induction telegraph system. This communications tool allowed railroad engineers to send messages to and from moving trains, greatly reducing the likelihood of crashes."
https://www.facebook.com/ohiohistoryconnection/photos/a.303234259344/10158394454024345

Columbus, Ohio native Granville T. Woods was a prolific inventor with more than 60 patents to his credit. His most famous invention, which he patented in 1887, was the induction telegraph system. This communications tool allowed railroad engineers to send messages to and from moving trains, greatly reducing the likelihood of crashes.

Thomas Edison sued Woods over the invention, claiming he had already invented a similar system. The courts sided with Woods and later Alexander Graham Bell later bought the rights to the idea. Edison offered Woods a position at his firm, but he declined.
Granville T. Woods’ work revolutionized telecommunications in the railway industry. He was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006.

https://bit.ly/2T0o7Ae

Black History Is Worth Learning About All Year As Black History Month draws to a close, it’s worth asking if it serves its purpose in educating people on black history and if it fosters unity between…

"Robert and his men were rewarded for their actions. He then served in the Union Navy and after the war, Robert went on to represent South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives."...
https://www.facebook.com/historicalsnapshots/posts/1635662186606115

Robert Smalls was an enslaved man who had been assigned to steer the CSS Planter, a Confederate Ship during the U.S. Civil War. Wanting his freedom, Robert plotted an escape.

His chance came on May 12th, 1862. As the three officers aboard the ship spent the night ashore, Robert and a few other enslaved men capitalized.

Robert put on the captain's uniform, took helm of the ship, picked up his family and the families of the other men, then steered the ship out of the Confederate harbor where they surrendered to the U.S. Navy.

For the Union, getting access to this ship was critical, as aboard it was the code book with Confederate signals along with a map of mines and torpedoes in Charleston's harbor.

Robert and his men were rewarded for their actions. He then served in the Union Navy and after the war, Robert went on to represent South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smalls / Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division / Wikimedia Commons

"He led the abolitionist movements in Massachusetts and New York. To many abolitionists, he was a counter-living example to slave holders’ belief that slaves were intelectually inept at functioning as individual beings in society. In fact, beyond being a literary figure, Douglas was also the most photographed man of his time."...

Though Frederick Douglass’ birthday is a mystery, he chose to commemorate it in 1818. He was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, but after escaping from slavery in 1838, he changed his last name to Douglass upon reading Sir Walter Scott’s narrative poem, “The Lady of the Lake.”

Douglass was born into slavery and later became an American abolitionist, social reformer, writer, orator, and statesman. What some may not know is that Douglass became the first African-American nominated for Vice President of the United States when Victoria Woodhull, the first woman who ran for president, added him as his running mate during the Equal Rights Party Convention in 1872. This was an honor, despite him not acknowledging the nomination.

He led the abolitionist movements in Massachusetts and New York. To many abolitionists, he was a counter-living example to slave holders’ belief that slaves were intelectually inept at functioning as individual beings in society. In fact, beyond being a literary figure, Douglas was also the most photographed man of his time. He sat for over 160 photos, all of which depict him frowning. Why did he not smile and why are there so many images of him? Well, he wanted to ensure that his facial expression captured a counter-image to the widely accepted Black American stereotypes at the time.

In 1848, he was one of the few men and the only African American to attend the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. He encouraged free Black men to enlist in the Union Army during the Civil War, and after President Lincoln declared the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation, he helped improve conditions for soldiers, including merit-based promotions and equal pay.

Of his many achievements, he became known for his many autobiographies, including his experiences as a slave in his “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845), his “My Bo***ge and My Freedom (1855),” and “Life and Times of Frederick Douglass” (last autobiography first published in 1881, revised in 1892). One of his speeches that he is most known for is his, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

Learn more about the life and times of Frederick Douglass by checking out the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site ➡️ https://www.nps.gov/frdo/index.htm

📸 NPS - Portrait of Frederick Douglass

After a long battle to free Gahanna students from mask mandates, the parents and students have finally come out victorious, and now have the freedom to choose! For us, this battle started 2 years ago, and included speaking at many school board meetings, waving signs on street corners, and speaking to friends and neighbors. Concerned parents in the district have been tirelessly addressing the school board in speech after speech, email after email and call after call, providing data and statistics for months and years, to no avail. For months, the district continued to cite Franklin County Public Health, and the Gahanna's COVID task force as the reason for the continued mandates. Many parents were frustrated and disappointed.

Most recently, the Superintendent of Gahanna schools received a letter from attorney Warner Mendenall (see below), representing a group of affected parents, requesting the removal of the mandates, and explaining all the laws that have been broken during the last 2 years. Parents have continued to flood the district with emails and calls. Today, the Gahanna-Jefferson school district was featured on 610 WTVN radio, on the Mark Blazor show, where parent concerns were highlighted, as well as a planned protest by a community group. We commend the parents for their hard work and dedication to their kids and continue to stand with them to support freedom. We are excited to share this news and rejoice with the students of Gahanna.

Congratulations to Vote for Sue Horn, Manley for School Board and Kara Coates for Gahanna Jefferson School Board for winning the most votes for Gahanna school board.

As the final vote counts reveal, our citizens are still divided on the direction of our schools and city. The new leadership has a big job in making decisions that affect our kids over the next two and four years. We hope they will work to bring the families of our district together, stop violence in our schools, increase our academic rating in the state, build our new high school, renovate existing schools, promote true equality and make parents feel their voices are heard.

Thank you especially to all 3500+ citizens who voted for us. Thank you to our team who have given their time, resources, prayers and labor of love to our campaign. We are forever grateful to you. Four months ago we didn’t know most of you, and now you are like brothers and sisters, mothers, fathers, and good friends. You stood by our side during the good and bad, in the hot and cold weather, and endured attacks right with us and stood strong, brave and proud. This has been an amazing experience with you. Thank you from the bottom of our heart.

We see first hand how vicious politics can be. If we have said or done anything to offend anyone - we ask for your forgiveness, and we likewise forgive those who may have attacked or spoken wrongfully against us. It will take all sides of our community to come to the table and work together to get the best results. Thank you Gahanna & Blacklick families for being the amazing people that you are.

-Tony and Angela

Don't forget to go vote today! Just under 2 hours remaining until polls close.