Highlighting Juneteenth Robert S. Abbott (1870-1940) Lawyer, Editor, Publisher “No greater glory, no greater honor, is the lot of man departing than a feeling deep in his heart that the world is a better place for his having lived.” Robert Sengstacke Abbott was born in Georgia, to parents who were Gulla-speaking freedmen from the Georgia Sea Islands. His father died when he was an infant, and he was raised by his mother, Flora, and his step-father, John Sengstacke, a mixed-ra
Highlighting Juneteenth Marian Anderson (1897-1993) Musician “The minute a person whose word means a great deal dares to take the open-hearted and courageous way, many others follow.” Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia. Her father, John Anderson, was a retailer; her mother, Annie Rucker Anderson, a former schoolteacher. Along with her parents and her two younger sisters, Marian attended Union Baptist Church in Philadelphia, where, from the age of six, she sang: first in
Highlighting Juneteenth George Washington Carver (1864-1943) Agronomist, Botanist “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” George Washington Carver was born into slavery in Missouri. The exact year of his birth is not known. His father died before he was born. After slavery was abolished, George and his brother James were raised by his family’s former “masters”, Moses and Susan Carver, as their own children. The Carvers taught George to read and encouraged
