370 years ago today, on July 21, 1656, a Black woman named Elizabeth Key successfully sued for her freedom and won, in colonial Virginia. This was 209 years before (plantation or chattel) slavery would officially be abolished in the USA with the 13th amendment.
You can read more about Key’s life and plight here, but what I want to spend time briefly discussing in Class today is what this feat, which occurred 37 years after the first Africans were first to the English colonies, means to us now.
This legal victory is a reminder that collective freedom happens in steps — not spontaneously. What we gained in 1865, was made possible because of Key, and many others. What we gain tomorrow, next month, next year and in the following decades will be because of what we do in this moment for our liberation. It takes hundreds of axe strikes to knock a tree down — not just one. So, whether our next iteration of freedom occurs in the next few years, or in 209 years, it will only be actualized if we, like Key, fight for it now, using all options at our disposal.
What step can you take today to help us move towards collective liberation? What axe strike will you make? Remember, it starts in the mind. Who can you help? What can you create? How can you heal yourself and others?
Check out this link for some resources to assist you, and drop a comment if you have any other recommendations for the Class.
Oh, and consider upgrading to a paid tier if you have not already, to support independent education and journalism. I can’t do this work without you.
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