The Business of Emancipation Review: Anita Hackley Lambert Illuminates Overlooked History
Alexandria, VA – Review: The Business of Emancipation–Alexandria to Black Broadway
Publisher: HLE Publishing
Author: Anita Hackley Lambert
Reviewed by: Ralph Peluso, Literary Editor
Zebra Rating: 5 Stripes
Every book by Anita Hackley Lambert has left me better informed and more willing to see things from a different perspective. Her latest work, The Business of Emancipation, doesn’t disappoint. Anita is a historian, biographer, and descendant of Freeman Henry Morris Murray. Her goal is to heighten the visibility of overlooked Afro-American figures critical in the fight for emancipation and equality in post-Civil War America. What began for her as a search for her family’s history became a journey into America’s sparsely recorded history. “The deeper I dug into records, newspapers, archives, photographs, tax documents, land records, and family histories, the more I realized that many important stories had not been lost for lack of value. They had simply been overlooked. That realization transformed my writing from personal interest into a mission to solidify the promise I made to my mother was complete,” Lambert said in a recent interview. Through her emotionally rewarding literary journey, Lambert documented the lives and accomplishments of FHM Murray and his family.
The Business of Emancipation is loaded with fascinating elements of little-known history. One example is the Niagara Project. I asked Lambert about it, and she replied, “As I studied its leaders and goals, I realized I was witnessing the early framework of organized civil-rights advocacy in America. These were men and women who refused to accept second-class citizenship and who believed that equality required both courage and action,” Lambert added. The Niagara Movement laid the foundation for organizations and efforts that followed, including the advancement of civil rights and the establishment of the NAACP throughout the twentieth century. History is too shaped by people with little-known names, yet whose influence and contributions alter the course of generational history.
Lambert uses clever terms like, “behaviors carry weight.” I asked her how this phrase works in today’s environment. “That phrase may be more relevant today than ever before,” she mused. “Behaviors carry weight because actions have consequences. Character carries weight because it determines how we respond to adversity, opportunity, success, failure, and responsibility. One concern I have when looking at today’s world is that we sometimes place too much emphasis on immediate gratification and not enough emphasis on learning from those who have already traveled the road before us. History is one of humanity’s greatest teachers. It provides examples of what builds individuals, families, communities, and nations—and what ultimately weakens them.”
Anita’s future, after several selections for book of the month, is foremost expressed in her poetry. “I write because silence has stories to tell. In the hush of the morning or midnight’s soft spell. Each whisper of memory, each glance of the past, becomes living ink on a page meant to last. I write for the voices that tremble in pain, for hearts that feel lost in life’s pouring rain. I stitch them in sentences, gentle and true, so someone out there knows—I see you, too. I write to remember the ones who stood tall, who carried the burdens and dared not to fall. Their courage, unsung, now dances in lines, restored in the rhythm where their legacy shines.”
The Business of Emancipation continues chronicling the history of freedom fighter Freeman Henry Morris Murray, his achievements, faith-rooted character, lifestyle principles, and commitment to serving a greater purpose. He fought for a freedom granted but not easily given. 5 Zebra Stripes
Elaine’s Literary Salon August 2026
Saturday, August 1, 12-3 p.m., Hemlock & Hearth Summer Scent & Stories
Saturday, August 8, 12-4 p.m., Inkandescent Kids magazine 1st Birthday Party Celebration
Thursday, August 13, 6-9 p.m., Paula Mays — Murder in the Parador
Saturday, August 15, 6-9 p.m., International Bestseller J.D. Barker — The Probability of Murder
Sunday, August 16, 12-3 p.m., Kenneth Dekleva — The Expediter
Saturday, August 22, 12-3 p.m., Beka Wueste — Human of the Year
Sunday, August 23, 12-3 p.m., Dr. C. Victor Herbin III — Organizational Arrogance
Wednesday, August 26, 6-9 p.m., Happy Hour for Writers
Thursday, August 27, 6-9 p.m., August Write-In
Visit elainesliterarysalon.com for more information and to sign up for select events.
