American black heritage is a long and storied history. So many people have struggled to bring African-Americans to where they are today. To be sure there will be those who say that we as a race still have a long way to go. And they’re right, to a degree. Take into consideration the accomplishments of those individuals and groups of the not too distant past. It becomes clear that we, as a race, stand proudly on their shoulders.

Martin Luther King stands out to many as being the largest bringer of change in modern times. His accomplishments were the completion of what many before him had started. The move for black freedom starts back in 1831 with Nat Turner. He brought about a successful slave revolt which ultimately resulted in his death. However, Nat Turner did not die in vain as his actions started the slow but steady falling of the dominoes that was the slavery system. 1831 was the year that the first evidence of outright activism began with a weekly newspaper called the Liberator. Its publisher regularly called for the abolition of slavery.

Big movements have small beginnings, and the movement for black equality in America was no different. The actions of Nat Turner started a wheel slowly turning. Frederick Douglas started publishing his own newspaper 15 years after Turner’s death. From here on out, the voices for abolition grow stronger. In 1849, Harriet Tubman escapes to the north and eventually founds the Underground Railroad. From here on out, the momentum to abolish slavery gets louder and louder. It still took more than 100 years from the time Harriet escaped to the ultimate goal of equal rights for all, but the efforts of those who came between should never be forgotten.