PHILADELPHIA, PA–On Monday, October 10, 2022, The O. V. Catto Voter Empowerment Initiative, in conjunction with the Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Vicinity and the Office of Philadelphia City Commissioners held a public Sesquicentennial Commemoration of Catto’s assassination at the O.V. Catto Statue, located on the Southwest quadrant of the Philadelphia City Hall apron.
“This event observed the 151st anniversary of the assassination of Octavius Catto, and was the first opportunity for Philadelphians to honor our first African American educator, military leader, voting rights activist, community leader, and martyr since the installation of the Catto statue at City Hall.
“As we continue to witness efforts to dismantle voting rights in Pennsylvania and many other states, the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity (as an organization) understands our mission is more critical than ever. We must continue to educate our community about the importance of getting registered; and then voting on Election Day.
Without voting, we have no voice, stressed Rev. Robert Collier Sr., President of Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity. “Our organization is proud to stand with the City Commissioners and the O.V. Catto Initiative to keep spreading the message about why we must all register and vote.”
The 3rd United States Colored Troops were on hand to provide the Guard of Honor to kick off the anniversary of O.V. Catto’s murder in Philadelphia,
Octavius Valentine Catto
Famed Philadelphian Octavius Valentine Catto was most well-known for his fierce advocacy for voting rights and equality in civil rights. An educator by profession, Catto became the foremost Black activist in Pennsylvania in organizing African American men to register to vote and then to participate in the first Election Day, after the passage of the 15th Amendment, in 1871.
In the Philadelphia election of 1871, Colonel William B. Mann, a civil war hero, was running for the office of District Attorney on the Republican ticket. He actively sought the Black vote in Philadelphia to swing a divided electorate to his candidacy. Democrats feared his election knowing that his intent was to clean up the city of corruption and to enforce equal voting rights.
On the fateful day of the election, October 10, 1871, during this charged and intense period, Octavius Catto worked even harder to get out the Black vote, thus gaining more hatred against himself. Catto was tireless in his activism, working all day to get Black voters to cast their ballots. Before the day was over, a small group of white men, after passing Catto on a street near his home, turned around and shot him in the back, killing him almost instantly.
Octavius Catto was indeed a civil rights activist, voting rights activist, hero, martyr, and so much more. On October 10, 2022, his memory was celebrated, and his work was be lifted up. His legacy will live on.
