By Garry Blanson
“The first colored man to run for President of the United States after the abolishment of slavery in America”
“The Purcell Principle, which is often used by the U.S. Supreme Court, is supposed to help keep the Court from legally interfering with elections that are about to begin or have already begun.” — Garry Blanson
So Garry, why aren’t you surprised about the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Louisiana district map issue?
The reason I am not surprised is because American history has shown time and again that when things don’t go the way certain white politicians want, they will use underhanded tactics to manipulate or change laws to get their way. From my viewpoint, there seems to be a racist systemic reboot happening in America—what I call “the end of the Second Reconstruction Period.”
The First Reconstruction Period followed the Civil War and lasted until 1877, when the Compromise of 1877 led to Rutherford B. Hayes becoming president and federal troops withdrawing from the South. The Second Reconstruction began with the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and lasted decades. Some believe its decline began after the 2016 election of Donald Trump.
Because of developments like these, I am not surprised by the Court’s decision. But enough of that—on to this week’s Black pioneer.
George Edwin Taylor was born August 4, 1857, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to an enslaved father and a free mother. In 1859, Arkansas required free Black people to leave or risk enslavement, prompting his family to move to Alton, Illinois. After his mother’s death in 1861, he relocated to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he was raised and educated.
Taylor’s career as a journalist and labor activist shaped his legacy. In 1891, he published The Negro Solicitor. He later founded several organizations, including the National Colored Men’s Protection League and the Negro Inter-State Free Silver League, and led national Black political groups.
In 1904, Taylor became the first Black man to run for president, representing the National Negro Liberty Party.
After his campaign, he returned to Iowa, later settling in Jacksonville, Florida, where he led the Progressive Order of Men and Women and edited the Florida Sentinel.
George Edwin Taylor died on December 23, 1925, at age 68.
Note: At his funeral, it was said he was “an Independent first, a Democrat second, and always Black.”
