Within the past 18 months, there have been two tributes built to honor the late Octavius V. Catto; the 12′ tall statue on the south side of City Hall and a 65′ tall mural painted on the side of the Universal Institute Charter School on Catherine Street in South Philadelphia. Despite his recent honors, Catto is known as “The Forgotten Hero” and many Americans still don’t know the scope of his legacy.
So, who was Octavius V. Catto? Catto was an athlete, activist and scholar. Born in 1839 to a prominent family, Catto grew up free, raised in Philadelphia. Catto got his start in activism during the Civil War. He served as a military officer and helped to enroll Black men to fight for the union. His work on went on to include advocating for the desegregation of public transit, the integration of baseball leagues and for increased voting rights.
He founded the second Black baseball team in Philadelphia, the Pythians. He was an instructor at the Institute for Colored Youth: which is now Cheyney University – the nation’s first Historically Black College.
However, the part of his legacy that’s best-known is his fight for voting rights for Black people. It was this fight that ultimately led to his untimely death. As a member of several organizations Catto fought for Black rights and the removal of racial barriers. In 1870, Catto eventually achieved his mission when the 15th amendment was ratified; making it illegal to deny a person the right to vote on the basis of race. On October 10, 1871, Election Day of the following year, Octavius Catto and hundreds Black people throughout the city turned out to exercise their new right. However, what would have been a day of celebration is instead marked as a day of tragedy. White democrats, afraid of the effect Black voters would have on the election took to the streets to intimidate Black voters with violence. They started riots in Black neighborhoods. With little to no protections provided to Black voters there was bloodshed.
