Black History Daily: Who Was the First Major Black Abolitionist?

The first known black regular lecturer in the antislavery cause and the first major black abolitionist was Charles Lenox Redmond (1810-73). His fame soared, following a triumphant tour of England. He was one of the seventeen members of the New England Anti-Slavery Society, the first antislavery society in America. Redmond was born in Salem, Massachusetts and educated in the local public schools. He became active in the abolitionist and reform movements early, and may have become involved in the black Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, the state’s first antislavery organization, founded in 1832.

His oratorical skills led to the position as first black lecturer for the America n Anti-Slavery Society. He toured Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island on behalf of the society, and he lectured throughout the North, although most of his work was centered in New England. While Redmond was a significant orator and leader in the abolition movement, the work and oratorical skills of Fredrick Douglas upstaged him and led to a quarrel between the men. His sister, Sarah Redmond, began speaking publicly on abolition as early as 1842, and often joined him on the antislavery lecture circuit.
Sources: Jessie Carney Smith, Black firsts, pp. 117

To learn more go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lenox...