Henry Moxley

Henry Moxley (1809 – December 12, 1878)[1] was an African-American businessman, religious leader and activist in Buffalo, New York. He is known for his work to promote school integration and the education of African-American children.

Henry Moxley
Born1809
Virginia
DiedDecember 12, 1878(1878-12-12) (aged 68–69)
Buffalo, New York
Resting placeForest Lawn Cemetery
OccupationBarber
Known forPromoting school integration and the education of African-American children

Biography

Born into slavery in Virginia in 1809, Moxley escaped and settled in Buffalo in 1832. He worked at various jobs before becoming a barber who opened his own shop in 1839.[2] Moxley was a deacon of the A.M.E. Zion church and was a principal organizer of the 1843 National Convention of Colored Men that was held in Buffalo.[3] It was reported in the Buffalo Republic newspaper that on October 3, 1850 Henry Moxley was in attendance and elected Vice President, along with others, during a meeting of colored citizens in which resolutions were passed against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.[4]

In June 1867 Moxley, as part of a group of parents, argued before the School Committee of the Common Council regarding the segregated and then called "African school" on Vine Alley (present day William Street from Broadway to Michigan Avenue).[5][6] It was their contention that the school was both poorly equipped and constructed along with having a location that caused long travel times for children who didn't live nearby. Because of these factors the parents felt this violated their rights under the Fourteenth Amendment.[7] Moxley's children were expelled from school following an unsuccessful attempt by him and other African-American families to have their children not segregated in a separate building by attempting to enroll them in two neighborhood schools. When this proved unsuccessful Moxley and fellow African-American parents then filed suit against the school superintendent, along with the School Committee of the Common Council, with violating the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The lawsuit was thrown out in 1868 and Moxley was ordered to pay court costs of $192 dollars ($3,088.55 in 2015).[8][2][7][9][10][11]

Henry Moxley died on December 12, 1878 and was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. The Buffalo school system became integrated in 1881 which then allowed African-American students to attend the schools in their neighborhoods.[12][13][14]

References
  1. "Henry Moxley 1860 UNITED STATES CENSUS". Censusrecords.com. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  2. Goldman, Mark (1 June 1990). City on the Lake: The Challenge of Change in Buffalo, New York. Prometheus Books. pp. 94–96. ISBN 9781615923922. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  3. "The Abolitionist Period". Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  4. "Landmarks of the Underground Railroad: From Christiana to Harpers Ferry". Hometown History: The Constitution Tested in Buffalo New York by the Abolition Movement and the Fugitive Slave Act. 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  5. "Latest National Register Landmark: 141 Elm Street". Buffalo Rising. Jun 12, 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  6. Kirwan, Susan (26 October 2005). "Buffalo Street Name Changes" (PDF). Grosvenor Room Guides & Publications. The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. p. 11. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  7. Doyle, Eva M. (February 9, 2014). "Eye On History: Henry Moxley sought a better education for blacks in the 1800s". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  8. "$192 in 1868 → 2015 | Inflation Calculator". www.in2013dollars.com.
  9. "The Circle Association's African American History of Western New York state 1830 to 1865". Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  10. Halpern, Jake (May 2000). "City HONORS: LOOKING BACK ... Buffalo schools at a Turning Point". Archives. Buffalo Spree. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  11. Brooks-Bertram, Peggy; Seals Nevergold, Barbara (2005). Uncrowned Queens, Volume 3: African American Women Community Builders. Uncrowned Queens Publishing. p. 161. ISBN 0-9722977-2-3.
  12. Davis, Karen G. (October 2001). "AFRICAN AMERICANS BURIED AT FOREST LAWN CEMETERY 1874 – 1886". ANCESTRAL HERITAGE TOUR, 2001. The Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  13. Williams, Lillian Serece (1999). Strangers in the Land of Paradise. Indiana University Press. pp. 18–19. ISBN 0-253-33552-3.
  14. "New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971 Erie Estate index 1800-1929 M-O". Family Search. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 11 January 1973. p. 300. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
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