M17: Samuel Meharry And The Goodness Of a Newly Freed Family

In 1826, young salt trader Samuel Meharry found himself stranded in a swamp on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Helpless and alone, he was saved by a recently freed Black family who had every reason to keep moving—but chose compassion over fear. In gratitude, Meharry made a promise: “I have no money, but when I can, I shall do something for your race.”

Fifty years later, he and his brothers fulfilled that vow by founding Meharry Medical College, the first medical school in the South for Black students. This powerful act transformed Black healthcare, educated generations of physicians, and even influenced the desegregation of the U.S. military. A single act of kindness changed history—forever.

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