Moses Grandy worked many odd jobs in the hope of saving enough money to buyhis freedom. Working as a river ferryman for little pay, Grandy spent years making regular payments to his enslaver. But when he arrived to make his final payment, his enslaver sold him instead.
Two years and hundreds of dollars later, Grandy was once again denied freedom and sold. Finally, in 1827, Grandy purchased his freedom.
Even as a free man, Grandy continued working on waterways to purchase his family’s freedom. In 1842 he sailed to London to testify against the atrocities of slavery at an abolitionist convention. Grandy published, “Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy, Late a Slave in the United States of America.” He ensured all proceeds went to purchasing his community’s freedom.
A century before “No one is free until we are all free” was a celebrated liberation slogan, ancestors like Grandy embodied this principle by continuing to fight for the liberation of those he was in community with, even after he had obtained his own freedom. How can we do the same?
Global genocide, mass incarceration, transphobia, abortion rights, and xenophobic ICE raids, are all rooted in anti-Black systems. Black liberation means there’s no room for exclusionary measures that work to divide us in our fight.