Elizabeth Evelyn Wright was determined to teach, but she had a few challenges. She’d fallen ill during her senior year of college, and even when she finally did finish, she still had problems completing her work. But that was just the beginning.
As a young teacher in the rural south, she was constantly at odds with white terrorists who did not want to see the local Black community receive any kind of education. They constantly harassed her, but she had something way more powerful than her challenges in her corner.
Wright did not know the meaning of the word quit. Her school was burned to the ground eight times, and each time, she walked over 20 miles to raise funds to rebuild it! That’s not even the best part of her story.
When she built back her school the ninth time, it flourished. Before too long, she’d purchased 280 acres of land, and kept growing her vision! Voorhees College, as her institution was named, was nothing short of a miracle – and it still exists today!
Wright’s body may have been weak, but her resolve was indestructible. A white supremacist environment is never going to be supportive of our fight for liberation. We must continue our work, even through setbacks and white violence – and keep our eyes on our goal!