George Henry White Delivers Farewell Speech as Last Black Congressman Until 1929

North Carolina Republican George Henry White delivered a powerful farewell address to Congress on January 29, 1901, as the last Black congressman in the chamber — a seat he had held since 1897. Disenfranchisement laws across the South had made it impossible for Black voters to elect Black representatives, and no African American would return to Congress until 1929. White's speech was a searing indictment of racial injustice and a declaration that Black Americans would return to power.