Townhall Speech

 

            Good afternoon everyone. My name is Henry Bibb. I was born into slavery in 1815 in Shelby, Kentucky. My father was a state senator but that didn't matter much, as my mother was a slave, and so was I from the moment I was brought to this earth. My life, like many others born in during this time period, was a life of torment and deprivation, marked all over by a desire for freedom. As a child, I witnessed the brutality of slavery firsthand. I witnessed families torn apart, loved ones sold away, and the daily doings of the white folk that stripped us of our dignity. My early life was punctuated by the pain of losing my mother and brothers to the auction block. This event had fueled my desire to escape from this dehumanizing system.

    I attempted to escape numerous times throughout my life, but it wasn't until 1837 that I made my first serious attempt. I've been married and had a child, but the constant scare of being sold and separated from my family motivated me to seek freedom. Unfortunately, that attempt got shut down real quick, and I was brutally punished for it. Regardless, I did not give up. My determination to live as a free man was stronger than the chains that bound me.

I ended up working my way to escape successfully in 1842, making my way to Detroit and then further north to Canada. It was there that I found the strength and safety to begin my work towards the abolition of slavery. I shared my story, my experiences, and the horrors I had witnessed with anyone who would listen. I became a lecturer for the antislavery movement, traveling across the United States and Canada to speak out against the institution of slavery. My autobiography, Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave, was published in 1849 and became a powerful tool in the fight for freedom.

                                                          

The purpose of my life became clear, to fight for the abolition of slavery, not just for myself, but for all those who remained in chains. My wife and I established the first black newspaper in Canada, The Voice of the Fugitive, to raise awareness about the struggles of enslaved people and to provide a voice for the many who were fleeing to freedom. My work did not just stop at the border. I helped found settlements in Canada for escaped slaves, giving them a place to rebuild their lives and regain their dignity. I believed, as I still do, that every human being has the right to freedom, to dignity, and to live without the fear of being treated as property. My journey from a slave in Kentucky to a free man and abolitionist in Canada, proves how powerful one or more people can be, when they fight for something they have a passion for.