We are pleased to see that Black History Month has not passed this year without paying tribute to one of South Carolina’s most significant figures – but also one of the most overlooked – African Americans.
Last week, members of the United States House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to rename the United States Post Office in Georgetown, after the first African American to serve in his body, Joseph Rainey. He was born a slave in Georgetown in 1832, and his father was a barber who ended up making enough money to buy his family’s freedom and transfer them to Charleston.
When drawn up by the Confederation during the Civil War, Joseph Rainey fled to Bermuda with his wife and opened a business there. They returned to Georgetown shortly after the war, and Mr. Rainey became president of that county’s new Republican Party, then served as a delegate to the 1868 state constitutional convention and won a seat at the Statehouse.
A portrait of Joseph Rainey hangs in the US capital building. Provided via the United States House of Representatives website.
These steps led to his election to Congress in 1870, where he served until 1879, after the end of the Reconstruction. It would be half a century before another African American matched Rainey’s more than eight-year term.
Along with Robert Smalls, another former South Carolina-elected slave to Congress, Rainey fought for racial equality, education and economic opportunities. But his historical history has faded over time, especially compared to Mr. Smalls, whose daring theft of a Confederate ship from Charleston harbor during the war has polished his legend.
In fact, US Congressman Tom Rice, who represents Georgetown, told his colleagues that Rainey is “an American hero I had never heard of before coming to Congress”. Mr. Rice worked with the rest of the members of the state chamber to pass the “Joseph Hayne Rainey Memorial Post Building” bill. US Congresswoman Nancy Mace noted that “Rainey’s incredible leadership in our nation deserves much more than a post, but this is certainly a start.”
Of course, his story was remembered by some. Lorna Rainey, who lives in New York, found out about her great-grandfather through her aunt. “Since I was 3 years old, my aunt Olive would put me on her lap every time I saw her and tell me her father’s stories and the things he achieved and the things he went through before and during the time he was in Congress, ”she told reporter Tyler Fleming. “I always knew who I was and, no matter what, nobody could take that away from me.”
Ms. Rainey noted that interest in her ancestor has grown over the past 20 years. Many historians expect it to grow even more, especially when we look at Reconstruction with new eyes.
“For 10 or 12 years, Reconstruction has worked,” said Brent Morris, director of the Institute for the Study of the Age of Reconstruction, Fleming. “African-Americans were able to seek public office and represent the population. It was a powerful constituency. Reconstruction was not that dark period, it was a chance for America to fulfill the ideals established in 1776. ”
The Georgetown Post Office on Charlotte Street is less than 2 miles away from Mr. Rainey’s childhood home on Prince Street, now a National Historic Landmark. Congressman Jim Clyburn said he hoped the new tribute would shed new light on Joseph Rainey’s history and legacy.
“To truly honor the contributions of Joseph Rainey and all African Americans, we must build on this progress by working together to address the ancient racial inequalities in our country and to fulfill the promise of ‘freedom and justice for all,'” said Clyburn.
Exploring our past – mainly drawing lessons and inspiration from figures whose stories have been obscured by time – is a great way to understand ourselves better and work towards a brighter future.