They should have called you the founding director. As we say around here. Her first book a fragile freedom African American women and emancipation published by yale extremely well regarded and important study of an understudied topic up to that point and so the perfect person to take on the challenge to recover the story of owna judge lets give erica a big round of applause. [applause] theres no other place i should be giving this talk. Good evening, everyone. Happy black history month. Here i am. So, first, let me make offer a few thank you. Of course to Dunn Bradford who invite saidd invited. Meechlt i think there is invited me. I think there is no better place to give this talk. I would like to thank emily for helping me with arrangements. It has been a very, very busy week. This book just came out on tuesday of last week. And so as an academic, doug said my first book was published with Yale University press and this book is more of a set of crossover trade books for a larger, more general audience. It is a very different experience. One that is rewarding and i am a little tired. Tonight is such a pleasure to be here and to be where the story of ona judges life began. What i will do tonight is talk a little bit about i will read from the book and give you a context through slides about and to give you a lightning context about ona judges life and what i wanted to do with there book. 20 years ago, i was doing research about africanamerican women in the north. I came across an advertisement for a runaway. An enslaved person who had run from the president s house in philadelphia in 1796. I was sort of caught up looking microfilm but this made me pause. I said who was this person that ran away. She was named ona judge in the advertisement. I thought wait a minute, i dont know this person. That was strub troubling to me because tlis is my area of expertise and i had no idea who this person was. There was something that was compelling about this advertisement. It never sort of escaped me. I said i will come back to this important story. I am going to try to trace this woman. I need answers. I finished the first book and here i am. It was a lengthy process in working to recover he works of the life of ona. Oing this kind of work where he evidence is slim, factual evidence often doesnt exist because people of color, women in particular, often remain outside of the archives chltd i will say there is no way i would have been able to write this book if i had not written my first book. Needed a grounding in order to be able to write this book about as a woman who is magnificent. When you read this book, you will be blown away by her life. Many folks here at mount vernon this is not a new story. You are among a small group of people that know her. I want her name to become a household name like a Federick Douglas and heriot tubman. The itle, never caught, was one of y first choices for the title. Presented it to people at the publisher and they hated it. They said it gives away the story. And i said yeah, but so does 12 years a slave. His is really a history of how a woman who was a fugitive never found freedom. She was never free. She simply was never caught. I think it is a big distinction. I think what we think about slavery in the south and the north at the moment where the nation is new. That is one of the other things i was really trying to do with his book and that was to allow us to see what the early days of the new country. Onas life ives us the opportunity to look at early virginia, new york, pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. We get to sort of follow her life and look at how this nation is changing, how it is grappling with the issue of lavery, all of these central ssues to this new nation and this time we are doing it through a young, black woman who made the choice to runaway. As i said, i will read a bit. I will talk and look at a few slides and we will walk together. Spring rain drenched the streets of philadelphia in 1796. Weather in the city of brotherly love was often fickle at this time of the year vacillating between extreme cold and oppressive heat. But rain was almost always appreciated in the nations capital. It erased the smells of rotting food, animal waste, and filth that permiated the cobblestone roads of this new ation. It reminded philadelphians that the long and pung punishing winter was behind them and spring rain cleans the streets and souls of people. It ushered in optimism and hope and a feeling of rebirth. In the midst of the promises of spring, ona judge, a young black enslaved woman received devastating news. She learned that she would leave philadelphia a city that had become her home. Judge would travel back to virginia and prepare herself to be beto her granddaughter. I would introduce you to ona judge. At the age of 22, judge stole erself from the washingtons orcing the president to show a slave catching hand. As a fugitive, judge will test the president s will and his reputation. The most important man in the nation heralded with winning the American Revolution ould not reclaim this enslaved woman. Ona judge did what very few others could do she beat the president. Judge was never caught. I normally show this next slide, you all dont need it because we are here at mount vernon, but this is me on the road doing my dog and pony show, and there are, of course, earlier images but i try to give an image so people have an idea of the Mansion House she was at for 16 years. Of course, you all were here and dont need this. Today, i will introduce what i am calling i am calling her a new american hero. A slave girl raised at mount vernon who once exposed to the ideas of freedom was compelled to pursue it at any cost. This was a woman who found the courage it too defy the president , escape, out negotiate, to run, to survive. Her story at this point is the only existing lengthy account of a fugitive once held by the washington at least told from her mouth to interviewers. It is perhaps the only virginia, judges life exposes he sting of slavery, the drive of defiance. She guarded what would become sort of freedom or her every day of her life sever regretting her decision to fight for what she believed to be her right and that was freedom. In 1779, we know washington was first elected president of the United States nd traveled to new york, the nations first capitol. He and Martha Washington took seven slaves from mount vernon. This is a sketch of federal hall where president washington would take the oath of office in new york. He would take eventually martha would make her way up to new york york. They took seven enslaved people rom mount vernon and ona judge was one of them. She would be taken from her mother, betty, and her other siblings. I will read a bit from the book to give you an idea of what that oment must have been like. The young ona judge was far from an xperienced traveler. The teenager knew only mount vernon and its surroundings and never traveled far from her family and loved ones. For judge, the move must have been similar to the dreaded auction block. Although she was not to be sold to a different owner she was forced to leave her family for n unfamiliar destination hundreds of miles away. Judge ould have no choice but to stifle the terror that she felt and go on about the work of comparing to move, folding linens, packing dresses and personal accessories, helping with the grandchildren. These were all things that only a judge would be involved in. They were the task at hands and not her place to change or question. Judge had to remain strong and steady if not for herself than for her mistress who appeared to be falling apart at the seams. Like martha, judge had no choice bout the move. Miss washington and ona judge may have shared similar concerns, but of course, only Martha Washington was allowed to express this content. Martha washington was nhappy and everyone knew it. The president s nephew, robert lewis would be aware of it. When he arrived at his estate, things were in disarray. Lewis was chosen to escort his aunt and grandchildren to new york but was surprised and a bit concerned when he arrived to find a frenzied and hectic scene. Lewis wrote quote everything appeared to be in confusion. End quote. The manifestation of ms. Washingtons conflicting feelings. Robert lewis described the depar departure as an motional moment for the slaves and the first lady quote after an early dinner, and making all necessary arrangements in which we were greatly retarded it brought us to 3 00 in the afternoon when we left mount v. The servants of the house and a number of field negro came to take leave of their mistress. Numbers seemed agitatedand much affected my aunt equally so. Betty, ona judges mother, must have been one of those agitated slaves. Not only was she loosing her 16yearold daughter but also loosing her son austin who would serve as one of the washingtons waiters. Austins wife and their children would have joined in the morning. Betty watched her children leave mount vernon, a reminder of what little control slave mothers had over the lives of their children. If she found any comfort in that day, it would have been mother and sister were traveling together. Austin was holder and male and could look out for his younger sister. Still, betty knew that her relationship with her hildren would never be the same. The washingtons would travel to new york and their visit there was relatively brief. They would leave for november in 1790 when the site of the nations capitol changed again. Ona would go with the washingtons and be one of nine enslaved people who traveled to hiladelphia. They were going to head south tool philadelphia. The president s house, for those familiar with philadelphia if you go to the liberty bell and constitution hall, the house is actually right there. I will tell you, this is sort of an aside, when i was watching all the preelection coverage and there was a speech given by formal president barack obama and Hillary Clinton it was smack in the middle of this courtyard at Independence Hall and i am watching the visual with the crowds and what have you and off to the right is where the president house stood. And im like she will not let me go. She follows me. February, 1796 brought a palpable unease. Her and her enslaved companions treaded lightly around george and Martha Washington. Enslaved individuals moved with caution not knowing what events could sour or sweeten an owners mood. For slaves who resided in the same walls with the owner life could be like walking in a land of embedded and mines. Breaking a dish, badly timed weather, could alter the disposition of an owner. Although the president did not earn the reputation of being a violent or extremely punishing slave owner he did on occasion lose his temper. Ona judge went through her daily tasks with a soothe watchfulness attending to Martha Washington with a care. The seven years judge served her mistress well up north. She became Martha Washingtons closest body slave. All who the washingtons on a personal level were familiar with judge. She often accompanied her mistress on social calls. The first ladys life was filled with socializing and public events. It is important to realize this relationship between mistress and enslaved person in terms of ona judge it was an intimate relationship. Not necessarily in the best of ways but ona was around Martha Washington constantly helping her with the most intimate of responsibilities; dressing, bathing and combing hair. She heard everything that went on n the executive mansion. Judge understood her mistress. She knew how much Martha Washington loved her grandchildren. She outlived all of her children and had no choice but to took the grandchildren of hope and enjoyment. And although marrying george ashington at 27 their marriage led to offspring. Martha and George Washington welcome welcome welcomed two of washingtons children in the ome and raise them up. After they read through the mail on february 6th, the president received a letter from eliza, her 17yearold grand daughter informing of her intention to marriage writing of the engagement to thomas law, a British Business man who came to america only recently in 1794 and became involved in Land Development around the federal city. Law met eliza who was 20 years is junior. Her father was deceased and washington stood in as a urrogate. The news must have sent the executive mansion into a tailspin. Although this was personal business, everyone who lived within the walls of the president house knew exactly hat was happening. George washington writes of this relationship that eliza is entering into. They were question about who this law person was and writes home about the situation. Neither george nor Martha Washington new about the seriousness of the relationship between eliza and law and there was much to be concerned about with this union. Law arrived in america with two of his three children both who were the offspring from a relationship with an indian woman. They were biracial. His biracial children and age raised the eyes of the washington. There were concerns she might decide to go back to england and could take her with him. Ona judge watched their owners feel their way through the dru dramat dramatic events of february 1796. Martha washingtons concerns must have turned to optimism because by the end of the month she announced the upcoming matrimony. He began to think of the union in the best possible way. Ona judge had no idea this acceptance of this relationship would begin the unraveling of er life. So they were married on march 21, 1796 and the marriage signaled the beginning of major changes were the washingtons and their slaves. Judge most certainly knew her time in philadelphia was limited. By the march wedding, close family knew that George Washington would not run again for president. This was no secret in the executive mansion and event al all of their lives would change once they returned to mount vernon. The idea of collecting with loved ones in virginia must have given some of the slaves in the mansion reason to celebrate. Judge had lived in the north for seven years. And the thought of return to mount ernon did not settle well. A return to mount vernon was a reminder to judge and her enslaved companions that they were considered he property of another person. After living in a free northern city, this was a difficult oncept to swallow. And i think it is important to recognize hat ona judge comes to philadelphia as a teenager. 16 or 17 years old. And spends these years watching free philadelphia grow. She watched Richard Allen build mother bethel around the corner, she saw free black men and women selling soup on the street, they were entrepreneurs. It wasnt necessarily easy but she saw freedom. She could almost feel it, touch it, taste it. Hese were things she would never be able to do in virginia. And then with the marriage of eliza, she realizes that her fate or at least her fate was revealed. Up like the other slaves at the executive mansion, ona would not return to philadelphia and judge would not be around to itness the president s final months in office. Martha washingtons deep concern for her granddaughter trumped any elationship she may have forged with judge. The first lady made a decision rgs and the term first lady isnt used at this moment. It is not used until later on in the 19th entury but i use it as part of this narrative i authored. The first lady made a decision that would help her grand daughter navigate through the transition of marriage. She would give ona judge to e eliza. Judges fate was now in the hands of eliza law, a woman who was approximately the same age and nown for having a difficult, ometimes volatile temperature. I show this image because it gives us an idea of eliza and he is a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes i think she got a little bit of a bad rap but her family wrote about her temper. This is something ona judge is familiar with. A shift to the household of the rritable and volcanic eliza. I will read another passage from the book to give you an idea of what that moment was ike for her. The judge knew what the future held should she not take the advice of her free black associates. She supposed if she went back to virginia she would never have the chance to escape. Once she learned that upon the defeat of her master and mistress she would become the property of the grand daughter she knew she had to flee. She image imagined her work for the law would begin immediately prompting a fierce clarity for er future and dislike. In an nterview at the end of her life she said quote i was determined never to be her slave. Her decision was made. She would risk everything to avid the clutches of the new ms. Law. Judge was well informed and knew her decision to flee was far more than risky but still she was willing to save dogsniffing kidnappers and bounty hunters for the rest of her life. Judge could no longer stomach her enslavement. She had given verything to the washingtons. For 12 years she had served her mistress faithfully and now she was being discarded like the scraps she cut for martha ashingtons dresses. Judge knew that no matter how obediant or loyal she was to her owners she would never be considered fully human. Her fidelity meant nothing to the washington. She was their property to be sold, traded or mortgaged with whomever they wished. This coaxed the freedom out of judges mind and she was willing to fight for what she believed to be her right. Her decision to run was just the beginning of her iberation. Judge had to calm her nerve and suppress or anger s allies completed her escape. Judge worked in tandem with the rest of the household as made the nescessary preparations for a lengthy trip back. Judge stated quote while packing to go to virginia i was packing to go. I didnt know where but i knew if i went back to virginia i should never get my liberty. Judge kept her plans a secret making certain not to share information with anyone who ived in the executive mansion. She relied on the free blacks who resided out odof the outside of the walls of the washington home. The executive mansion possessed more slaves than other residents judge was the preferred house slave and had to be available at all times for all reasons. Only one duty was she exempt. Meal preparation. A kitchen staff prepared the meals served to the president and the first family and judge sometimes received a bit of free time during the afternoon meal and upper. Extending th