National Day of Racial Healing

Today on this National Day of Racial Healing, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with Lynne M. Jackson, great-great granddaughter of Dred Scott (the slave who sued for his freedom in 1857), and Charles Taney IV, great-great-great nephew of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Roger Brooke Taney (who wrote the decision that denied Dred Scott his freedom). Tonight, for an “Understanding Hampton Roads” panel discussion, they’ll team with Keith Plessy whose great-grandfather was a cousin of Homer Plessy (who in 1892 challenged separate accommodations for black and white railroad passengers), and Phoebe Ferguson, great-great granddaughter of Louisiana Judge John Howard Ferguson (who ruled against Homer Plessy). 

 The program will focus on the U.S. legal system's history of racial bias and opportunities for healing and understanding. Sponsored by the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, the event will offer a unique opportunity to hear from descendants of plaintiffs and judges in two landmark 19th Century U.S. Supreme Court cases—Dred Scott and Plessy v. Ferguson—that denied basic civil rights to African Americans. Learn more: hamptonroadscf.org/About/Events