Reverend Henry McNeal Turner was an African Methodist Episcopal minister and one of the greatest defender of black American rights after the Civil War. During the Reconstruction, he was elected as a state representative of Georgia, where he served until being forced out by anti-black Senators. In response, he gave this powerful 1868 speech which denounced the individuals who were so cowardly they would reject a man legally elected on wholly fallacious grounds.

"This novel will grab you in the gut and hold you there. It’s absolutely outstanding. Once I entered this world I didn’t want to leave.” —Roxane Gay, author of Opinions"The cast delivers powerfully nuanced performances. [Narrator] Dion Graham’s Sabre is both cringe-inducingly unctuous and disturbingly seductive. [Narrator] Bahni Turpin’s Priscilla is piercing, hilarious and sympathetic in her human emotion...[Narrator] Angel Pean’s performance is a...

In 1807, Congress passed a law banning the import of slaves to the US. While many would break this law leading up to the Civil War, it still marked an incredible victory for abolitionists both black and white. Reverend Peter Williams delivered this speech the day the bill went into effect. In it, he gives thanks to God and all those advocating on behalf of the African-American community.

Henry Highland Garnet delivered this address at the National Negro Convention of 1843. In it, Garnet declares that mourning on behalf of slaves is no longer enough. He urges the slaves of the South to rise against their oppressors, saying, “let it no longer be a debatable question whether it is better to choose Liberty or death.” While the speech fell short of gaining the convention’s official approval, it documents an important part of civil discussion about race.