SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 33
(By Senator Rowe)
Recognizing the achievements of Booker T. Washington on his
official birthday, April 5, 2001.
Whereas, Booker Taliaferro Washington was born a slave in
Hales Ford, Virginia, near Roanoke; and
Whereas, At the end of the Civil War in 1865, Booker T.
Washington, at the age of 9, and his family walked 225 miles from
Hales Ford, Virginia, to Malden, West Virginia, where he worked in
the coal mines and salt works and as a garden worker for the
wealthy Ruffner family, which owned the property along the Kanawha
River from Malden to the farmland on which our State Capitol stands
today; and
Whereas, Booker T. Washington learned to read while working
for Viola Ruffner. Mrs. Ruffner taught him the social graces of
the day, which he used to perfection; and
Whereas, From 1872 to 1875, Booker T. Washington attended the
Hampton Institute, an industrial school for African-Americans in
Hampton, Virginia. Upon his graduation from Hampton Institute, he
returned to Malden to teach school. He married and was a paid
orator who traveled around the state to encourage voters to
permanently locate the State Capitol in Charleston; and
Whereas, In 1881, Booker T. Washington founded and became
principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. The school
taught such trades as carpentry, farming and mechanics and trained
teachers; and
Whereas, Under the leadership of Booker T. Washington, the
Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University, became famous as a
major educational institution and renowned model of industrial
education; and
Whereas, In 1891, Booker T. Washington was instrumental in the
organization of West Virginia State College; and
Whereas, As Booker T. Washington's fame as an educator
increased, so did his stature as the national leader for African-
Americans after the death of Frederick Douglas in 1895. He
encouraged freed slaves and their children to learn skills, work
hard and acquire property; and
Whereas, Booker T. Washington became a respected political
leader. He was the first African-American invited to dinner at the
White House and advised not only Presidents, but also members of
Congress and governors on political appointments for African-
Americans and sympathetic whites. He urged wealthy people to
contribute to various African-American organizations; and
Whereas, In 1900, he formed the National Negro Business League to help black business firms; and
Whereas, In 1901, he published his acclaimed book Up from
Slavery which has been in print for one hundred years; and
Whereas, Booker T. Washington died in 1915 and took his place
in American history, becoming one of the most important leaders to
come to prominence in the period between the Civil War and World
War I; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate:
That the Senate hereby recognizes the outstanding achievements
of Booker T. Washington, a man who was born in slavery and died an
American legend; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Senate hereby recognizes April 5,
2001, as the official birthday of Booker T. Washington; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward
a copy of this resolution to the organizers of the Booker T.
Washington family reunion, whose next reunion will be held in
Charleston in June, 2002.