Enslavement was over. While Black people were legally free, whites pushed back against many of the policies put into place. The Freedmen's Bureau was dismantled, Black codes were in place, and of course, white terrorists hid under the hoods of the newly created KKK.
White Southerners refused to enact reforms that allowed formerly enslaved people to get healthcare, education, and voting rights. White northerners refused to grant Black workers union membership and ignored their needs. But there was another movement in play.
Black power. In 1867, Black voters were the majority in every single southern state, and over 600 local leadership positions were filled by our people, both free born and formerly enslaved. This support fueled Congress to restart Reconstruction.
Black Reconstruction, as it was called, created structures for public schools and hospitals, set the stage for the Black church to become active in fighting for civil rights, and helped reunification efforts of Black families separated by enslavement and war.
Black Reconstruction flies in the face of narratives about our people not working together. It proves that when we unify, even just a little bit, we can create a world where we thrive. Is it time for another Black Reconstruction?