T’Malkia Zuri, legally born Tonya Reed, is the visionary founder of the Randolph County Historical Black Society, a for-profit organization established in 2023. The society was created to address the significant gap in historical records and information regarding the Negro, so-called Black, and Copper Colored individuals who once resided in Randolph County, Missouri, and the surrounding areas. Through her website, Randolph County Historical Black Society, Ms. Zuri offers a wealth of historical resources, including a meticulously curated database of thousands of names and records, all verified by her and her dedicated team.

In addition to this project, T’Malkia is also the developer of an online historical newspaper archive, Randolph County Black Newspapers, which is specifically focused on newspaper clippings about Copper Colored people from the 19th and 20th centuries. This unique resource is a testament to her dedication to preserving and sharing the rich history of these communities.

As the Executive Director of the Randolph County Historical Black Society, Ms. Zuri offers ongoing technical assistance, training, and support to her Team Members, particularly in the areas of research, data collection, resource development, and project management.

In 2024, the call for reparations reverberates louder than ever, exposing the truth. Whether termed “restitution” or otherwise, the message remains clear: the federal government must rectify its crimes against humanity. It’s time to restore the rights stripped from copper-colored, so-called “Black” Americans. Land grabs, reclassification, and written laws facilitated this subjugation. Throughout history, laws were weaponized against them. Randolph County’s newspapers chronicled slavery’s horrors and a specific law enabling capture and return of escapees. It’s a stark reminder of systemic oppression. As revelations unfold, it’s imperative to acknowledge and address past injustices. Join the discourse, advocate for justice, and ensure historical truths are upheld.

The first law enacted in 1793 enforced Article IV, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution. 

The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime. [No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due.] (This paragraph has been superseded by the Thirteenth Amendment.)

The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was enacted as part of the Compromise of 1850 because of the growing tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery. Instead of easing these tensions, it appeared that the law made things worse, and was said to have contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War. By the mid-19th century, the practice of slavery had become a deeply divisive issue in the states, with folks in the North advocating to end the imprisonment of so-called “Blacks”, and slaveholders in the South (to include Missouri) who had the nerve to fight for the right to practice slavery. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 included several provisions designed to strengthen the institution of slavery, and to encourage Northern states to cooperate in the capture and return of those who made it to their territories.