Title
Rev. William Henry Sheppard, 1865-1927
Subject
Missionaries
Presbyterian Church
African-American--History--Tuscaloosa
Description
William Henry Sheppard was among the first African-Americans to become a Presbyterian missionary; he spent 20 years in Africa.
Said to be the most distinguished pre-four-year graduate of Stillman College, William Sheppard studied for the ministry at the institution from 1881 to 1886 when it was known as Stillman House. Sheppard became a missionary to the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), where he exposed atrocities perpetrated by commercial interests against the people of the Kasai region; he was charged with libel by the Kasai Rubber Company, and his trial (in which he was acquitted) brought international attention to the systematic abuse and occasional murder of African people in the rush to plunder the continent's wealth.
The British government bestowed upon Sheppard the title of "Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society" for his service as a missionary.
Said to be the most distinguished pre-four-year graduate of Stillman College, William Sheppard studied for the ministry at the institution from 1881 to 1886 when it was known as Stillman House. Sheppard became a missionary to the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), where he exposed atrocities perpetrated by commercial interests against the people of the Kasai region; he was charged with libel by the Kasai Rubber Company, and his trial (in which he was acquitted) brought international attention to the systematic abuse and occasional murder of African people in the rush to plunder the continent's wealth.
The British government bestowed upon Sheppard the title of "Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society" for his service as a missionary.
Source
Tuscaloosa News Archive
Publisher
The Tuscaloosa News
Contributor
Betty Slowe (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
Photograph
Identifier
902
Coverage
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Original Format
Photograph
Physical Dimensions
2 inches x 3 inches