Dec. 29, 1865

Months after the end of the Civil War, abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison produced the last issue of “The Liberator,” which he began publishing in 1831. 

In the first issue, he wrote, “I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject [of slavery], I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. No! No! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen; —but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest – I will not equivocate – I will not excuse – I will not retreat a single inch – and I will be heard.” 

His fight to end slavery emanated from his deep faith, and he envisioned a world beyond bondage: “My Bible assures me that the day is coming when even the ‘wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the wolf and the young lion and the fatling together’; if this be possible, I see no cause why those of the same species—God’s rational creatures—fellow countrymen, in truth, cannot dwell in harmony together.” 

Garrison worked, too, with the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman, whom he nicknamed “Moses.” 

When the day came to celebrate the nation’s independence in 1854, Garrison and other members of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society gathered for a picnic. He stood before them and chastised the U.S. Constitution, which regarded those enslaved as property, rather than people. He set a copy on fire and called it “a covenant with death and an agreement with hell.” He called for “amens” from the crowd, which exploded, “Amen!” 

A pro-slavery mob tried to lynch him and would have succeeded if some sympathizers hadn’t turned him over instead to authorities. A gallows was even erected outside his office, and he was burned in effigy. 

In addition to his work to end slavery, he became a leading advocate for women’s rights. With the last issue published, Garrison declared that his “vocation as an Abolitionist, thank God, has ended.” He continued to fight for the rights of African Americans and women. His works influenced Russian author Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. A memorial in Boston now honors Garrison.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Roger Wicker is continuing a long tradition of Mississippians serving in powerful positions in the U.S. Senate.

It was expected when Republicans recaptured the Senate majority in the November general election that Wicker, a Tupelo Republican, would be tabbed to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee. So it was no surprise when incoming Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, confirmed recently that the Republican majority had selected Wicker to chair the influential committee when the new Senate convenes in January.

The Armed Services Committee provides oversight of the nation’s military and defense apparatus, including playing a key role in setting the budget for the Department of Defense. Wicker had said he wants to continue the tradition of former President Ronald Reagan of peace through strength — of having a military so powerful that it would deter military action by rival countries. It could be argued, though, that for decades the U.S. military has stood head and shoulders above other militaries in the world.

It makes sense that Wicker would chair the important committee. He served as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and later in the Air Force Reserves. In addition to his military service, Wicker has another valuable commodity: Senate seniority.

Wicker, age 73, has been in the Senate since 2007 — appointed to a vacant post on New Year’s Eve by then-Gov. Haley Barbour. Wicker won a special election in November 2008 to continue his service and has easily won reelection since then.

Other Mississippians have served in key Senate positions thanks at least in part to their seniority.

Thad Cochran, who stepped down in 2018, served in key posts, including as Appropriations chair. And of course, Trent Lott, who served alongside Cochran for most of his tenure, served as Senate majority leader.

Before Cochran and Lott, there were James Eastland and John Stennis representing Mississippi in the Senate. Eastland chaired the Judiciary Committee, and Stennis was the first chair of the Ethics Committee. Stennis also chaired Armed Services during the tumultuous Vietnam War and Appropriations late in his tenure.

For much of Stennis’ 42-year tenure, he served as the junior senator from Mississippi. Eastland won election to the Senate in 1942 compared to 1947 for Stennis.

At one point, Eastland and Stennis were the Senate’s longest serving duo.

The life expectancy in Mississippi is 74.6 years, according to the World Population Review. Based on that number, the average Mississippian has seen only six people serving in the two U.S. Senate slots in his or her lifetime.

There were Eastland/Stennis, followed by Cochran and Lott and now Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith.

Hyde-Smith was appointed to a vacant slot in 2018 by then-Gov. Phil Bryant. She was elected to the post in a special election later in 2018 and in a regular election in 2020. Her current term will end in 2026. Whether Hyde-Smith, age 65, will seek another term and try to continue the trend of Mississippians building up seniority in the U.S. Senate remains to be seen.

But needless to say, there is no more job security in Mississippi than being in the U.S. Senate.

A matter of fact, the same could be said for serving in any statewide elected post in Mississippi. The last statewide incumbent to be defeated was Insurance Commissioner George Dale in 2007. Before then, it was Gov. Ronnie Musgrove in 2003. Musgrove burst on the statewide political scene by upending Lt. Gov. Eddie Briggs in 1995.

The last incumbent Mississippi U.S. senator to lose a reelection bid was Wall Doxey in 1942.

Talk about job security.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Dec. 28, 1954

Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, New York, the son of a beautician and Pentecostal preacher. 

Washington planned on pursuing a career in journalism, but while at Fordham University, he appeared in several student drama productions and became obsessed with acting. 

After his first paying gig in a summer stock theater production in Maryland, he began to pursue television and movie roles. He made his first big screen appearance in the 1981 film, “Carbon Copy,” and a year later won the role of Dr. Philip Chandler in NBC’s hit medical series “St. Elsewhere.” 

Washington continued to make films, including the 1984 film, “A Soldier’s Story,” where he drew critical notice for his performance. Five years later, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the 1989 film “Glory” and later won for Best Actor in the 2001 film “Training Day.” 

In 2016, the Golden Globes honored him with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, and three years later, the American Film Institute bestowed its Life Achievement Award. In 2022, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.