Rev. William Henry Sheppard, 1865-1927

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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.

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