Zanesville Black history documented in books for schools, library
ZANESVILLE — The people who Ernest “Tony” Bynum knew in Zanesville shaped who he is today.
Bynum, known to many as a mentor, friend and advocate for minority business owners, attributes his drive for community service to the trailblazing Black Zanesville residents who came before him.
But many of them are gone. The local leaders who inspired him were sometimes just those he knew of.
That’s why a local group is working to preserve the legacies of those in a multi-volume book project titled “Archives of the People,” so those trailblazers aren’t forgotten — especially by the younger generations who may not even know they existed.
“A lot of kids don’t know greatness has walked in the same steps they have,” Bynum said. “If you don’t know something, you can’t aspire to do it.”
The book will be distributed into area school libraries, the Muskingum County Library System and local history archives. On Saturday at 2 p.m. the group behind “Archives of the People” is unveiling the book to the public at Zanesville Civic League Community Center.
Bynum hopes it’ll reach Zanesville’s youth with its presence in schools and libraries, but the hope is it can bring to light local Black history. It documents the good and some of the bad, but the goal is that more change can happen in years to come by showing youth how things have improved.
Impactful lives documented
It all started after a meeting, according to the book. Black community members lingered to chat, recalling certain facts about the Black community that aren’t as well known.
Several years of research and dozens of interviews later, “Archives of the People” was born.
“It’s is an effort to show people, especially the younger generations, regardless of what your circumstances are when you start out, if you keep applying yourself and move forward, you can accomplish really great things that can impact your community,” Bynum said.
The first volume includes 45 biographies of local leaders who made an impact in Zanesville and beyond. Some are more widely known to nonlocals, like Nelson T. Gant, a local philanthropist who was previously enslaved, and Perry Jackson, who became Ohio’s first Black elected judge.
But many others are people who also made a big impact at home: local educators, scholars, lawyers and other pioneers in their trades who are remembered for their service to the community.
Another one is Ernest Bynum Jr., Tony’s father. The elder Bynum died in January.
Before his passing, he shared stories about his time as the city’s second Black firefighter. The bays weren’t segregated yet at the firehouse, so he and co-firefighter Gabriel Weatherspoon, also featured in the book, slept in the hallways and closets.
“To hear those stories of people going through those things and overcoming those barriers, still with their pride and their headd up and moving forward, that means a lot,” Bynum said of hearing his father’s experiences.
Inspiring Zanesville’s youth, one story at a time
The community center was founded more than a century ago as a place where Black children could play and learn.
Things have changed and things have gotten better, but Bynum said some children still feel discouraged about their futures in Zanesville. He hopes “Archives of the People,” serves as an example that they can make a difference, and there’s precedent to prove that.
That means acknowledging the good, and the bad, that came with growing up Black in Zanesville. He hopes young people who read the book may be inspired to make a difference themselves.
Bynum likened it to Barack Obama becoming the first Black president.
“Until you saw it, you thought there was a glass ceiling that couldn’t be attained,” he said. “That glass ceiling has to be busted, and kids have to have examples.”
Many of the people featured in the book made a personal impact on Zanesville Middle School Principal Adrian Williams.
He recalls his time with Ernest Bynum, who lived down the street from his grandmother. His father was not present in his life, and he said having people in his life like Ernest was life-changing.
Physical education wasn’t the only thing Williams learned from Donis Toler, a coach and Zanesville City Schools teacher. He also walked him through some of the harder lessons in life.
“Coach Toler was somebody for me that helped me understand racism. I remember there was a time I felt like I was being held back from something because of the color of my skin,” Williams said. “He taught me how to deal with that.”
He also looked up to Jerry Jackson, a Canton, Ohio native and former Zanesville resident, known for his service as an educator, coach and athlete for Ohio University.
Kyle Johnson, who worked on “Archives of the People,” was also inspired to make a difference by his mentors growing up. He previously ran for Zanesville City Council, and organized racial justice protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020.
“There’s a difference between seeing that inspiration and knowing they’ve walked in the same streets as you, attended the same schools as you or lived in the same neighborhoods,” Johnson said.
The public is invited to come to the Zanesville Civic League Community Center this Saturday to learn about the book. The event runs 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The group is already working on the second volume of “Archives of the People.”
The biographies in the 51-page first volume include:
- Walter Anderson
- Estella Barnett
- Dr. James Henry Boulware
- Kathleen M. Tabler Bullock
- Lawrence Cornelius Burwell, Jr.
- Ernest “Ernie” Eugene Bynum, Jr.
- Dr. Sabrina Coleman Clark
- Rana E. Stubblefield Edwards
- Forest J. Farmer, Sr.
- Dr. Harley E. Flack
- Harley J. Flack
- Nelson T. Gant
- Edward L. Gilbert
- Harry P. Guy
- Dr. Linda L. Hunt
- Dr. Anita Jackson
- Jerry D. Jackson
- Judge Perry B. Jackson
- Hortense Weatherspoon Jones
- Louise Kyle
- Bobbie O. Martin
- Flora Martin
- Etta Melton Mitchell
- Dr. James Daniel Mitchell
- Sam W. Mitchell, Sr.
- Dr. Myron E. Moorehead II
- Paul D. Newman
- Phil Newman
- Connie Norman
- Wilbur Norman
- Noah Norris/Noah Morris
- Melvin “Sy” James Oliver
- Paulina Ruth Morse Peterson
- Charles “Laddie” Edward Rush, Sr.
- Helen C. Curtis Russell
- Joshua McCarter Simpson
- Arthur W. Tate
- Erwin Edgar Tate
- Donis Eugene Toler, Sr.
- Helen Louise Williams Walker
- Liesta Walker
- Troy Walker
- Gabriel Raleigh Weatherspoon
- Dr. Hazael Edward Welton
- James Edward Workman, Jr.
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Twitter: @couchreporting
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