Last weekend, I had the pleasure of hearing the premiere of a new song. It was so new, in fact, it didn’t yet have a name. But it did have a prominently featured lyric: The promise of freedom is so strong.
The band Shake Steady was performing at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, and before introducing the song, lead singer Sean Ike asked the audience if we knew about Robert Smalls. I didn’t, but he gave us a summary of his story. I’ve since visited his Wikipedia page, and I’d like to share a bit of what I learned:
Robert Smalls was born in 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina, as an enslaved person. But his life would become a remarkable story of courage, resistance, and leadership. During the Civil War, in an act both daring and courageous, he commandeered a Confederate transport ship and sailed it straight out of Charleston Harbor to Union forces, securing freedom for himself, his crew, and their families. That moment was both an escape and a declaration of dignity.
After the war, Robert Smalls became a vital leader during the Reconstruction era, serving five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He used his voice to advocate for public education, civil rights, and the full inclusion of Black Americans in civic life.
As Sean Ike shared from the stage, “Robert Smalls went from being enslaved to escaping and securing his freedom. Then he helped his family escape. Then he became a U.S. Representative in the House of Representatives. Not many have seen that kind of change.” Robert Smalls created change—and expanded it for others.
The new song was about his escape. And repeatedly, Sean Ike sang:
The promise of freedom is so strong.
The promise of freedom is so strong.
The promise of freedom is so strong.
I lift this up on this Independence Day. This holiday comes annually, but still, many are actively oppressed, and the lives and liberty of many remain at risk. Even so, I’m reminded: the promise of freedom is so strong.
We can work to carve out more pathways to that freedom. As Fannie Lou Hamer said, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” The promise of freedom is so strong. What will we do with that invitation?
— Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 