The oldest city in the state of Georgia is receiving accolades after it renamed its public square after a Black woman who was pivotal in the Civil War.
Susie King Taylor, born into slavery in 1848, was considered highly educated during a time when many Black people were not allowed to receive a formal education. Her name at the public square in Savannah now replaces former Vice President John C. Calhoun, who was a supporter of slavery.
The move comes for the first time in 140 years since Savannah renamed its town squares.
“The decision by the Savannah city council comes after they considered several other names for the square – previously named after John C Calhoun – a staunch advocate for slavery in the decades preceding the US Civil War,” according to a BBC report.
Taylor fled slavery after being taught at secret schools as a child. She would seek protection with Union troops and taught at the young age of 14. She later became a nurse, an educator and the only Black woman to write a memoir about the war.
She then served as a nurse in the military and founded a school for Black children after the war ended.
The city of Savannah stated that the square will bear a plaque with the old name and will include an explanation of the change.
“It’s one thing to make history. It’s something else to make sense. And in this case, we’re making both,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson told the Associated Press.
He further stated that as it stands, five Black women serve on the city’s nine-member city council, adding that during Taylor’s lifetime, no one would have ever fathomed Black women in the role.
Shine My Crown salutes and gives flowers to Susie King Taylor!
