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Overview of My Book
Book: F.H.M. Murray: First Biography of a
Forgotten Pioneer for Civil Justice
Freeman Henry Morris
Murray, a complex and elusive pioneer for civil
justice risked his life and the safety of his family in order to save
fugitives from lynching. In addition to advocating for equal rights and justice
this progressive visionary and polyglot established several viable businesses
and careers. This long overdue biography provides significant revelations and
benefits to American history.
Book Review
“Anita Hackley-Lambert has written a fascinating and compelling book. Based on
years of research and family interviews, this biography of Freeman Henry Morris
Murray (1859-1950) uncovers deeply buried family mysteries and sheds new light
on various aspects of black history, such the Underground Railroad before and
after the Civil War, the Niagara Movement, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois,
and African-American life in Washington, D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia. An
impressive and important labor of love.”
--Charles Patterson (historian, author and editor)
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Book Review
F.H.M. Murray: First Biography of a Forgotten
Pioneer for Civil Justice
by Anita Hackley-Lambert
As reviewed by New York Times best-selling author Ellen
Tanner Marsh
Anita Hackley-Lambert isn’t just an
accomplished biographer and writer. She’s the great-granddaughter of the subject
of this fascinating new biography — that of Freeman Henry Morris Murray. Murray
crossed the color line during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to fight
for justice for African Americans, and in this first ever biography,
Hackley-Lambert lovingly and colorfully brings her great-grandfather’s story to
life.
As a child, Murray faced rejection for the
color of his skin, and although he searched for an identity and a feeling of
belonging, he learned to excel in the face of adversity. As an adult, he fought
for African Americans, forcefully driving home the point (which he called his
Enlarged Vision Model) that they could change their social status by becoming
better educated, grabbing at opportunities, and simply working harder. This very
model helped him in his own life: refusing to take no for an answer, he studied
hard and entered an astonishing array of professions as a teacher, civil
servant, lecturer, newsman, editor, author, publisher, printer, and founder of
several newspapers and businesses. In addition, he never stopped trying to help
his people, most remarkably by creating his own Underground Railroad in Virginia
that operated undiscovered for several decades.
This stunning biography unfolds against a
teeming backdrop of American history. From John Brown’s raid on the federal
arsenal at Harper’s Ferry to the Civil Rights movement and the assassination of
Martin Luther King, this is a testament to the remarkable time and the
remarkable man who lived through it.
Hackley-Lambert’s great-grandfather lived to
age 90, when he was struck down in an accident. He died shortly after, but what
he left behind is an extraordinary story, and we have his great -granddaughter
Anita Hackley-Lambert’s devotion to thank for it
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Book Review"Anita Hackley-Lambert is destined to become recognized for this major
contribution to the history of the United States. The F.H.M. Murray story is a
significant and informative documentation and long overdue. The author had done
a remarkable job, portraying the life of this complex individual."
--Welton Holland, Founder
Haynes and Frederick Scholarship Fund
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