The world's oldest ex-slave amazingly is still alive and turned 177 today. Still clear of mind and radiant, he says that his memories of the condition of slavery, his escape, his return to slavery due to the fugitive slave act, and purchase by a group of abolitionist lead by Theodore Dwight Weld as well as the nation's reaction to the Dred Scott decision are all fresh in his mind.
Amazingly he not only survived slavery, but also 4 years as a Union soldier and part of Sherman's scorched earth campaign. After the war, he returned to the South Carolina Sea Channel Islands and was one of the original group of black representatives to the United States Congress. after black codes and voting laws were passed to suppress the black vote, Mr. Rainey was voted out of officer, whereupon he returned to college, studied history and was a historian and eventual chair of the history department at Lincoln University. He received Ph.D's in American History (Lincoln), European History (Princeton) and African Antiquity (Fisk).
His recollections of working with the world's greatest historians, hearing their perspectives, reading source materials and vast first hand personal accounts area treasure trove for modern day historical scholars who want to get a real feel for the 360 degrees of history. He has served as a mentor to Carter B. Woodson, John Hope Franklin, Steven Craig Wilder and Chiekh Diop. "They were all incredible. I learned as much from them as they did from me, maybe more. I love working with young people." He gave a laugh, "I guess I'd better right?"
There aren't that many people that can count A. Philip Randolph, Frederick Douglass, Madame C.J. Walker, Marcus Garvey, Paul Robeson, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby and Skip Gates as personal friends
A masterful storyteller and lecturer, he can speak comprehensively on virtually any aspect of Black history and culture for hours at a time. He still gives guest lectures at Universities within 100 miles of his home in Oberlin Ohio and is emeritus chair of the Oberlin History Department and emeritus Vice-Provost.
His amazing longevity has doctors baffled, but he comes from a family of centurians. His father had him at age 74 with his 4th wife (who was born in 1800 but only lived to be 104). Mr. Rainey's father, Moses Rainey worked the cotton field's for over 95 years and died while picking cotton 4 days before the farm was liberated by Union Troops and the Emancipation Proclamation was read aloud to the newly liberated field hands.
Mr. Rainey's mother lived to be 127, dying in Harlem in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance. "I was only 93 when my mother passed away. She was doing so well, It was unexpected." Mr. Rainey said while dabbing his eyes.
Although he was eligible to draw social security old age pension in 1942, he was still actively working and teaching and didn't official retire until he was 120 the day the Voting Rights act (1965) was signed into law.
He had 39 children by 11 wives, the last, "Harriet" in 1994. Harriet plans on attending Oberlin College to be close to her father, "I'm beginning to see some signs of old age" she said. She is currently a senior in high school. When told that the Wikipedia site has him listed as having passed away, she laughed and said, "Yeah, he told me about that. What happened was that the United States had just Settled a lease with Hawaii for Pearl Harbor in January of that year. My father sold his bank and went out to help oversee recruitment of Black and Hawaiian work crews. At the same time another Man named Joseph Rainey died. Since my father left abruptly, some folks thought it was my dad. He was 53, which would have been short, but a full life for an ex-slave and civil war vet. I've called Wikipedia numerous times and they refuse to change it."
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