Meet Isabel
Isabel Gardener (formerly Sal Lockton) is a front-runner for the position of the 83rd Attorney General of the United States. Born as a slave, at a young age she was orphaned with a younger sister (Ruth Gardener). In a cruel twist of fate, despite being legally granted freedom after her former master died, the confusion of the Revolutionary War caused her to be transferred to another family of slave-owners, the Locktons of New York.
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Her imprisonment didn't last for long, however, and with the help of fellow friend and revolutionary Curzon Bellingham (1762-1855), Gardener joined the revolutionary units of General Washington, fighting with valor at Saratoga, Trenton, and Valley Forge. In recognition of her efforts, Gardener was promoted to the rank of 'Major' in the Continental Army.
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After the Revolutionary War, Isabel reunited with her sister Ruth, and together, they established a sewing business in Charleston. The venture was very successful, but with the onset of the Civil War, the two fled the city, joining the XVI Corps of the U.S. Colored Troops regiment. After serving for four years in the Union Army, Isabel was (once again) discharged and honored with the newly established Congressional Medal of Honor.
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Ms. Gardener, approaching her 100th birthday, then decided to pursue a law degree, becoming a District Judge for the Mid-Atlantic States and a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. She rose to prominence during the Civil Rights Monument as a leading activist, even helping President Johnson draft the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
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Today, at the age of 252, Isabel hopes to bring her insight to the President's Cabinet and reform our justice system, which is in dire need of improvement.