by JD Davidson
An Ohio lawmaker is seeking support to return land in western Ohio to people who were previously enslaved during the Civil War.
In a letter to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and other state agencies and elected officials, Republican Dontavius Jarrells of British Columbia wants the governor to support exploring all options to address what Jarrells calls the historic injustice faced by Randolph Freedpeople.
“To create a more perfect union, we, as responsible citizens and leaders, must realize the dreams of our Founding Fathers and move our great country and its people forward,” Jarrells wrote. “It often requires us to acknowledge our failures, learn from them, and move forward together. Our greatest mistake, America’s original sin, was and remains – the enduring legacy of slavery. But sometimes we have a chance to uproot some of the roots of racism and right the greatest wrongs in history. I am standing on the threshold of such a chance and I am asking for your support.
Jarrells (pictured above) has a press conference scheduled for Tuesday, which will include several descendants of Randolph Freedpeople and outline how Ohio can return state-owned land to descendants.
According to the Piqua Public Library, in Virginia, 400 people were freed from slavery under John Randolph’s 1819 will, which reads: “I give and bequeath to all my slaves their freedom, heartily regretting that I ever owned one.”
Randolph’s family contested the will and fought to keep the former slaves as their property.
Judge William Leigh, lawyer Francis Scott Key and Bishop Meade managed to enforce the will in 1846, freeing 383 people. Leigh purchased 3,200 acres in Mercer County, Ohio. He arranged for freed people to be transported to Mercer County, where all former slaves over the age of 40 were to receive 10 acres.
Before the former slaves arrived, a town in Mercer County passed a resolution that read: “Resolved. It will not live among the Negroes, because we were the first to settle here, we have fully resolved that we will oppose the settlement of Negroes and Mulattoes in this country to the best of our ability, not excluding the bayonet.
The freed slaves were met by a mob of furious white Mercer County residents, and the freed people headed south to establish petite towns along the Miami Erie Canal after being denied land.
“Given that all of this occurred in the years leading up to the Civil War, when the nation was divided, the freedom promised to slaves in the North was by no means guaranteed,” Jarrells stated in his letter. “A perfect example is how Ohio handled this situation. Despite being granted freedom, Ohio turned its back on Randolph the Freedpeople. It is time for Ohio to admit its failure, learn from it and move on.”
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Ohio native J.D. Davidson is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience at newspapers in Ohio, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. He served as a reporter, editor, editor-in-chief and publisher. Davidson is the magazine’s regional editor Central Square.
