August 30 | Moments Almanac | Entry

Some Victories Take Generations | August 30

On August 30, 1856, a failed Ohio resort where enslaved attendants had once served vacationing Southern families was reborn as Wilberforce University, a college dedicated to educating Black students.

Exactly 111 years later, on August 30, 1967, the United States Senate confirmed Thurgood Marshall as the first Black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Two moments. One long road toward freedom and opportunity.

In this episode of Moments Almanac, we trace the remarkable journey from Wilberforce University and Bishop Daniel Payne to Marshall, Brown v. Board of Education, and the Supreme Court—and consider a simple truth from 1 Corinthians 3:6: some plant, some water, and God gives the growth.

You may never sit beneath the shade of the tree you're planting.

Plant it anyway.

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A hillside resort in Ohio, once a summer retreat where enslaved attendants served vacationing southern planters, becomes something more than no one there could ever have imagined. And in Washington, 111 years later, to the day, a roll call ends, and a door that had never opened in the nation's history finally swings wide. Welcome to Scattered Moments. I'm Matt Tullis, and this is a time for us to remember the people, places, and events that leave fingerprints on the soul. Before it was a college, Tawawa Springs was a resort near Zenia, Ohio, where wealthy southern families came to escape the summer heat, often bringing enslaved attendants with them. But the resort failed. And on today, August 30th, back in 1856, the property became Wilberforce University, founded through cooperation between Methodist Episcopal Churches and the African Methodist Episcopal Church to educate black students. They named it for William Wilberforce, the British abolitionist who had spent much of his life fighting the slave trade. Among its leaders was AME Bishop Daniel Payne. The Civil War nearly destroyed the young school. Enrollment collapsed and Wilberforce closed. But in 1863, the African Methodist Episcopal Church purchased it outright. Paine became its president, making him the first black president of an American college. Think about what happened. Buildings where enslaved people had once served vacationers now housed black students preparing for lives of leadership, but the story wasn't finished. 111 years later, on August 30th, 1967, another barrier fell. Thurgood Marshall, he was the great grandson of enslaved people, denied admission to the University of Maryland Law School because he was black. Marshall attended Howard University and became one of America's greatest civil rights lawyers. He challenged segregation cases, and in 1954, he argued Brown versus Board of Education before the Supreme Court and won. Thirteen years later, President Lyndon Johnson nominated Marshall to that same court. His confirmation was contentious. Senator Strom Thurman subjected him to an extended series of questions on constitutional history and reconstruction. Marshall endured it. Then came August 30th. The Senate voted 69 yes, 11 no. Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as the first black justice in the history of the United States Supreme Court. And here's what catches my eye. The people who founded Wilberforce couldn't see Marshall coming. Daniel Payne couldn't see Brown versus Board of Education. The teachers who opened books for black students couldn't see that Supreme Court bench. They simply did what God had placed in front of them. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3 6, I planted Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. We live in a world that wants results by Friday, but the kingdom of God has never operated on our timetable. Somebody plants, somebody waters, somebody teaches, somebody speaks, somebody refuses to quit. And sometimes, generations later, a door finally opens. That's just life. So don't underestimate the small act of faithfulness God has placed in front of you today. You may never sit beneath the shade of the tree you're planting. Plant it anyway, because some victories take generations.