Kansas City has some incredible history and in lots of ways. Today's date points out one more.
The nation's first African-American Congressman, Senator was from--you guessed it--right here in the Kansas City area.
Hiram Rhoades Revels was destined for greatness. Born in the 1820s (historical accounts vary on the exact year) he fought at the Battle of Vicksburg and served as a chaplain for the Union Army. And, reportedly at the request of Fredrick Douglas, helped recruit and organize black soldiers during the Civil War. In Missouri, and two other states, Revels was an educator, and in 1865, founded and led St. Paul A.M.E. Church in nearby Independence, MO. Years later, he also became the first African American U.S. Senator in Mississippi, filling the seat vacated by Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy.
So the first African-American member of Congress, Senator, was from right here in our own area.
Incredible.
And so few of us know it.
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