James Solomon Russel
Can you imagine something you might want to build to help others?
A hospital? A church? A school? Do you think it would be hard to create something? Why or why not?
Our StoryMaker this month built not one thing but many, and all of them were designed to help his neighbors. He might not have ever imagined he would be able to create all of these, especially given all that he faced in his early years.
James Solomon Russell was born on December 20, 1857 on the Hendrick plantation in Southern Virginia. Because his mother and father were both enslaved, James was enslaved from birth. After the Civil War, when enslaved people were freed, James was 8 years old.
His family did not have much money, so he worked to pay his tuition at a small private school. Eventually he enrolled at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. He had to leave school twice because his help was needed on the family farm. But while he was enrolled there, James first read the Book of Common Prayer.
Because he wanted to become an Episcopal priest, he decided to be the first student in the new seminary at St. Stephen’s Church. On March 9, 1882, James was ordained a deacon in the Episcopal Church. He got married to Virginia Michigan Morgan that same year. In 1887, James was ordained a priest.
He started a school for children in the area but soon realized his adult neighbors also wanted to learn to read and write. So in 1888, James founded St. Paul Normal School. The school taught students to be educators and business owners and tradesmen, but learning about God’s story was an important part of the curriculum.
Two times, James was elected Suffragan Bishop of North Carolina, and both times he turned it down. James said the school and helping his neighbors was too important. When James died in 1935, St. Paul’s College had 800 students, 50 staff, and 36 buildings.
God used James to tell his story not only with his words but through the institutions he built. By helping his neighbors, James reminded everyone that no matter your beginnings and the many setbacks you might face, God can make you a StoryMaker.
Craft Zine
Creating a Zine can be a great way to process setbacks we all face from time to time.
Jump into our new craft video.
