Henry Highland Garnet was born into slavery in Maryland in 1815. When he was just nine years old, his family was given permission to travel for a funeral, and took the opportunity to escape. The Garnets joined the free population in New York City, where Henry was educated.

After spending some time as a sailor and joining the First Colored Presbyterian Church in New York, Garnet was launched into fame (and some would say empathy) by his 1843 speech, “”An Address To the Slaves of the United States.”” In this address, he broke with the abolitionist tradition of trying to convince whites of the evils of slavery and spoke directly to the enslaved, urging them to free themselves. The speech was so radical that Frederick Douglass publicly denounced it.

Garnet also joined the controversial colonization movement, urging Black Americans to emigrate to Africa to “”Christianize”” the continent.

In 1864, Garnet became pastor of the prominent 15th Street Presbyterian Church in DC, and in 1865, he preached in the Capitol building, becoming the first Black man to do so. He was appointed ambassador to Liberia in 1881, and died there in 1882, receiving his fondest wish: to be buried in Africa.