When it comes to fighting inequality and Black liberation, Black women have always served on the frontline.
From building nations on the Continent to empowering communities, Black women in Africa and across the Diaspora have successfully challenged dominant power structures and shifted the narrative for Black people. Thus, as a part of honoring National Women’s Month, it is necessary to pay tribute to women committed to creating equitable and just societies.
Examples include Queen Nanny in Jamaica (1686-1750). Originally born in Ghana, she was a Jamaican political leader and a military strategist who led a successful war against the British. Another example is Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (1900-1978), an African social activist and anti-colonial freedom fighter who organized tax strikes against economic policies that negatively affected women, organized against the exploitation of women in business, and called for an end to colonial rule.
In the United States, we know of the power, resilience, and courage of Black women such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Ida B. Wells in their fight for justice and equality.
But there are also stellar examples of Black female social justice fighters in Savannah!
In 2015, Georgia Public Broadcast ran a series on Black "sheros" in Savannah called "Forgotten Women" that focused on their untold stories . My research introduced me to Mother Mathilda Beasley, who was born into slavery in the 1830s in New Orleans and arrived in Savannah around 1850. Among the few facts known about her is that she was committed to teaching children to read and write despite the risk of educating enslaved Black youth.
Additionally, I "met" Rebecca Stiles Taylor, the first Black American female to serve as Savannah’s Probation Officer in Juvenile Court. She was bodacious, outspoken, and intentional about speaking out on issues like civil rights, segregation in the military, poll taxes, and lynching. I also encountered Susan King Taylor, who was born as a slave in 1848 in Liberty County, Georgia and raised in Savannah. A free Black woman taught Susie and her brother to read and write.
Credit: Special to Savannah Morning News
Credit: Special to Savannah Morning News
According to her memoir, Susie studied for a while under Mrs. Mary Beasley. Could that have been Mother Mathilda Beasley? Susie mastered her skills in reading and writing. In 1862, the Union Army took over Fort Pulaski and Susie fled with many former enslaved Blacks to the coastal islands.
Recognizing her literacy skills, Union soldiers asked her to run a school for the Union officers on St. Simons Island. By day, she taught children, and by night, she taught newly-enlisted soldiers. Additionally, she cared for the sick, wounded, and dying. She married a soldier and became Susie King. Her memoir about her experience provides insight into the war from a Black woman’s perspective. She notes that the role and suffering of former slaves in the fight for freedom should never be forgotten. After the war, King returned to Savannah and opened a school for Black youth. When her husband died, she moved north and remarried, becoming Susie King Taylor.
There is a concerted effort to honor Susie King Taylor by renaming Calhoun Square to Susie King Taylor Square. This effort is being led by the current day justice fighter I am honoring in this space — Patt Gunn.
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Do Savannah
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Do Savannah
A native of Savannah with Gullah Geechee heritage, Gunn says she is being led by the ancestors as she endeavors to do the work she is involved in. She calls her work her "soul craft." Her soul craft focuses on truth-telling, reconciliation, healing, and repair.
She refers to herself as a 21st century abolitionist who is paving the way for a new generation. When asked why she is leading the fight to rename Calhoun Square, Patt says simply, “Calhoun was not a good role model."
And most would agree with her.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
While John C. Calhoun was an influential South Carolina politician, vice president of the U.S., and secretary of state prior to the Civil War, he was also a pioneer of the plan for states to secede from the Union and an outspoken defender of slavery. Additionally, the space where Calhoun Square is located was once a Negro Burial Ground.
At some point, a city ordinance changed the name of the areas where Calhoun Square and Whitefield Square are located from the Negro Burial Grounds to names that honored these men (both of whom were pro-slavery). According to city records, there is no documentation of mass removals from those cemeteries.
From 1763 through 1851, those burial grounds were the only legal places in Savannah where enslaved Blacks could be buried. To have a Negro Burial Ground named after a man who was pro-slavery is an affront to African American existence and history. It is an insult that Gunn is determined to get corrected.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
According to Gunn, Savannah has obscured the story of the journey from slavery to freedom. Renaming Calhoun Square is a first step in ensuring the correct story gets told in future generations.
Confronting injustice is no new thing for Sis. Patt. For the past 30 years, she has worked within the social justice field, attempting to right wrongs. It appears that Gunn was destined to be an innovative change-maker. She is the daughter of a 7th child who was the daughter of a 7th child who was the daughter of a 7th child.
In numerology, the number 7 symbolizes a deep inner need to find depth, meaning, and spiritual connection. That is Patt Gunn! Her philosophy about life is: “You must always walk circumspect—with grace and respect.”
Credit: Maxine L. Bryant
Credit: Maxine L. Bryant
Wise words for National Women’s Month from a local "shero!"
Maxine L. Bryant, Ph.D., is a contributing lifestyles columnist. She is an assistant professor, Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology; director, Center for Africana Studies, and director, Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Center at Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus. Contact her at 912-344-3602 or email dr.maxinebryant@gmail.com. See more columns by her at SavannahNow.com/lifestyle/.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Women's History Month: Patt Gunn latest in line of history-making Black Savannah women
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