Hiram R. Revels, Joseph F. Rainey, Shirley Chisholm, John Conyers…..

are just a few names of those who pioneered the way for African American representation in the U.S. Congress…..

Schomburg Center – NYPL “Hiram R. Revels of Mississippi, the first colored member of the U.S. Senate, Joseph F. Rainey of South Carolina, the first colored member of the U.S. House of Representatives,” NYPL Digital Collections, 1897

Hiram R. Revels was the first African American to serve in Congress (1870-1871). Revels owned a barber shop, created and taught in schools for African Americans, was a Union Army chaplain and served various congregations as an ordained minister. In 1870, the Mississippi State Legislature chose him to then fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jefferson Davis. Revels’ short time in the Senate was marked by a a dedication for civil rights as well as advocating for the universal amnesty of Confederate officials. Perhaps Revels’ true vocation was education; in 1871, he co-founded Alcorn College, the first African American land grant college and in retirement taught theology at Shaw University.

Congressional Record, House 43rd Congress, 1st Session (19 December 1873): 344. Representative Joseph Rainey, the longest-serving African American during the Reconstruction, argues for Civil Rights.….. Congressional Record (1789- present) available at ProQuest Congressional with NYLI membership….

Reconstruction — including the Federal government keeping a watchful eye on the Southern states to ensure enforcement of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments – ended with the compromises made during the 1876 Presidential Election dispute (see my previous blog linked here)! African-American representation in Congress disappeared for nearly the next hundred years. The Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s changed that…..

Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman in Congress (1968) and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from a major political party (1972)…

A pioneer for both African Americans and women, Congressman Chisholm served 7 terms (1969-1983) and represented the district of Bedford-Stuyvesant….

“Bring U.S. together, Vote Chisholm” Library of Congress Image

The last of our pioneers is U.S. Representative John Conyers, Jr. Rep. Conyers was the first African American to serve on the House Judiciary Committee, was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and was the longest serving African American in Congress (1965-2017).

THE book… available electronically with NYLI membership… for everything about African American lives….

Keep tuning into this NYLI blog for more on Black History month…. including profiles of African American entrepreneurs… and some famous African American librarians….