State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus), along with descendants of the Randolph Freedpeople, amplify the story of Randolph Freedpeople and discuss options to recognize the injustices faced by the Randolph Freedpeople descendants.

After John Randolph of Roanoke, Virginia died in 1883, he left in his will instructions to free his nearly 400 slaves, the eventual purchase of 3,200 acres of land for them to call home in Mercer County and the means for the freed people to travel there. After a drawn out legal battle over Randolph's will and a lengthy exodus from Virginia to Ohio, the Randolph Freedpeople finally reached Mercer County in the summer of 1864. Once they arrived by boat from Cincinnati along the Miami Erie Canal they were quickly turned away by an angry white mob determined to deny the freedpeople their legally inherited property. Fearing for their lives, the Randolph Freedpeople headed south, eventually settling in parts of Shelby and Miami County, with many making Piqua, Ohio, their new home. For generations now, they have contributed to their community, to Ohio, and to America.

WHO:
Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus)
Randolph Freedpeople Descendants