Exceptionally pleased to have with us dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar from the university of delaware with us tonight. You mate have seen her featured in the New York Times recently and not many npr programs, but this is where she belongs talking about this. She received a phd from columbia university. She became the inaugural director of the program in africanAmerican History. They should have called you the founding director. Thats the moe joouft as we say around here. Her first book, a fragile freedom, africanamerican women and emancipation in the antebellum city, published by yale, an under studied topic up to that point. And so the perfect person to take on the challenge to recover the story of owna judge. Lets all give erica a big round of applause. [ applause ] good evening, everyone. Good evening. Happy black history month. Happy black history month. Here i am. So first, let me make offer a few thank yous of course to doug brad board who invited me. I think theres no other place i should be giving this talk. Can you all see me . Im vertically challenged. Im going to turn this lets see if this is better. Better . Yes. Okay. And id also like to thank steven emily for helping me with arrangements to arrive here. Its been a very, very busy week. This book just came out on tuesday of last week. And so im an academic, and as doug said, my first book was published with Yale University press. And this book is more of a sort of crossover tradebook for a larger more general audience. And so its a very different experience. One thats been rewarding, but different, and im a little tired. So forgive me if my voice comes in and out. Ive been talking more than usual. So tonight is such a pleasure to be here, to be really where the story of ona judges life began. Its mt. Vernon. And what ill do tonight is to talk a little bit. Ill read a little bit too from the book. And give you a little context through some slides about oh, here we are. Im in stereo. Yay. And to give you a little context about ona judges life and really sort of what i wanted to do with this book. About 20 years ago, i was doing some research on my first book, about africanamerican women in the north. And i came across an advertisement for a runaway, an enslaved person who had run from the president s house in philadelphia. May 1796. And i was, you know, sort of caught up looking through micro fichl and old newspapers, but this made me pause. And i said, wait, who is this person who ran away . She was named onnie judge in the advertisement. I thought, wait a minute. I dont know this person. And that was troubling to me, because this is my area of expertise. Im supposed to know all of this stuff. And i had no idea who this ownnie judge was. And there was something that was very sort of compelling about this advertisement, never sort of escaped me. And i said, you know, im going to come back to this important story. Im going to try and trace this woman. I need answers. So i finished the first book and here i am many years later. It was a lengthy process in attempting to recover the work, the life of ona judge. This is recovery work. For those of us who do specifically early africanAmerican History, doing this kind of work in archives where the evidence is slim, factual evidence often doesnt exist because people of color, women in particular often remained outside of the archives. And so what i will say is that theres absolutely no way i could have written this book had i not written my first book. So thats my plug for graduate students and people who are really doing the work of academics. I needed a grounding in order to be able to write this book about a woman who is really just absolutely magnificent. When you read this book youll be blown away by her life. Now, many folks here in this room and of course at mt. Vernon, this is no new story. We know about ona judge, and you are among a small group of people, well actually now i hope there are many more who know her. Thats the expectation. I want her name to become one of those sort of household names, like a fredric douglas, like a harriet tubman, because she runs away decades before they do, right . So the title, ill give you a sort of quick story about the title, never caught. This was actually, of my first choices for the title of the book. And i presented it to some people at the publishers, and they hated it. And they said, gives away the story, erica. I said, yeah, but so does 12 years a slave. Honestly, we understand, right . It was 12 years, its going to end at some point. With never caught, this is really a history of how a woman who was a fugitive never found freedom. She was never free. She simply was never caught. And i think its a big distinction, and one that i wanted to make, especially as i was trying to kind of dismantle what we think about slavery in the south and the north at this moment where the nation is new. And i think thats one of the other things i was really trying to do with this book, was to allow us to see what the early days of this new country looked like through the eyes of the enslaved. And onas life gives us that opportunity to look at early virginia, new york, pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. And we get to sort of follow her life and look at how this nation is changing, how its grappling with the issue of slavery, all of these very kind of central issues to this new nation. And this time were doing it through a young black woman who made the choice to run away. So as i said, ill read a bit. I will talk and well look at a few slides. And well walk together on this journey of onas life. Spring rain drenched the streets of philadelphia in 1796. Weather in the city of brotherly love was often fickle at this time of year. Vacillating between extreme cold and oppressive heat. But rain was almost always appreciated in the Nations Capital. It erased the putt rid smells of rotting food, animal waste, and filth that permeated the cobblestone roads of this new nation. It reminded philadelphians that the long and punishing winder was behind them, spring rain cleansed the streets and souls of philadelphians. It ushered in optimism and hope and a feeling of rebirth. And 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 bequeathed to her owner granddaughter. Today ill introduce one of the most under studies fugitive slaves in america. At the age of 22, judge stole herself from the washingtons. Forcing the president to show a slave catching hand. As a fugitive, judge would test the president s will and his reputation. The most important man in the nation heralded with winning the American Revolution could not reclaim this enslaved woman. Ona judge did what very few others could do. She beat the president. Judge was never caught. Now, i normally show this next slide. You all dont need it because were here at mt. Vern oin and its actually an older slide but this is when im on the road and doing my dog and boney show. There are earlier image. I always try to give this image so that people have an idea of what the mansion house, where she was for such a long period of her life, for a good 16 years. And so of course you all were here, so you dont need this. But today i will introduce what im calling im calling her a new american hero. A slave girl raised at mt mt. Vernon who once exposed the ideas of freedom was compelled to pursue it at any cost. This was a woman who found the courage to defy the president , the wit to find allies, to escape, to outnegotiate, to run, to survive. Her story at this point we can tell is really the only existing lengthy account of a fugitive once held by the washingtons, at least told from her mouth to interviewers. It is perhaps the only fugitive account from my slave in 18th century virginia. Judges life exposes the sting of slavery, the drive of defiance. She guarded what would become sort of freedom for her every day of her life. Never regretting her decision to fight for what she believed to be her right, and that was freedom. In 1789, we know that washington was elected first president of the United States. Traveled to new york, the nations first capitol. And he and marthay washington would take with them seven slaves from mt. Vernon. This is a sketch of federal hall, where president washington would take the oath of office in new york. So he would take eventually martha would make her way up to new york. She was unhappy about the move. She made that known to everyone. But she went. And they took seven enslaved people with them from mt. Vernon, and ona judge was one of them. She would be taken from her mother betty and her other siblings. And im going to read a bit from the book. To give you an idea of what that moment must have been like. The young ona judge was far from an experienced traveller. The teenager knew only mt. Vernon and its surroundings. And had 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 an unfamiliar destination, hundreds of miles away. Judge would have no choice but to stifle the terror that she felt and to go on about the work of preparing to move. Folding linens, packing Martha Washingtons dresses and personal accessories, and helping with the grandchildren. These were all things that ona judge would be involved in. They were the tasks at hand, and it wasnt her place to complain or question. Judge had to remain strong and steady. If not for herself, then for her mistress, who appeared to be falling apart at seams. Like judge, Martha Washington had no choice about the move to new york. Her life was at the direction of her husband, who was now the mostpowerful man in the country. Mrs. Washington and ona judge may have shared similar concerns. But, of course, only Martha Washington was allowed to express discontent. And sorrow. Martha washington was unhappy and everyone knew it, including her frightened slave. The president s nephew, robert lewis, would also soon be made aware of it when he arrived at the estate on may 14th, things were in disarray. Lewis, who served as washingtons secretary between 1789 and 91 was chosen to escort his aunt and her 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 mrs. Washingtons conflicting feelings. Robert lewis described the departure, which finally took place on may 16th, 1789, as an emotional 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 mt. V. The servants of the house and a number of the field negros made their appearance to take to take leave of their mistress. Numbers of these poor wretches seemed greatly agitated, much affected. My aunt, equally so. Betty, ona judges mother, must have been one of those agitated slaves. Not only was she losing her 16yearold daughter, but she was also losing her son austin, who would serve as one of the washingtons waiters. Austins wife charlotte and their children would have joined in the mourning. Betty watched her children leave mt. 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 that brother and sister were traveling together. Austin was older and male and could look out for his younger sister. Still, betty knew that her relationship with her children would never be the same. The washingtons would travel to new york and would really their their visit there was relatively brief. They would leave for philadelphia in november of 1790 when the site of the Nations Capital changed again. Ona would go with the washingtons and she would be one of nine enslaved people who traveled to philadelphia. So were going to go head head south, actually, to philadelphia. We dont have an image. Let me see if we go forward. Nope. Okay. Well, the image is there. Pretend that you see the president s house. Which was it was a lithograph, an image of a lithograph, from the president s house. Right now, for those of you who will familiar with philadelphia, if you go to the liberty bell and constitution hall, the house is actually right there. Ill tell you this is sort of an aside when i was watching kind of all the preelection coverage and there was a speech given by former president barack obama and hillary clinton. It was smack in the middle of this courtyard at independence hall. And im watching kind of the visual with with the crowds and what have you. And off to the right was where the actual president s house stood. And i thought, wow, here we are. Im watching this moment. And off to the righthand side, onas still there. Like, she just wont let me go. She follows me everywhere. February, 1796 brought a palpable ease. A thick tension prompted ona judge and her enslaved companions to tread lightly around george and Martha Washington. Enslaved men and women always moved about their days with caution. Not knowing what events could sour or sweeten an owners mood. For the slaves who resided within the same walls as their owner, life could be akin to walking through fields embedded with land mines. The smallest of matters, such as the accidental breaking of a dish or inconvenientlytimed bad weather, could alter the disposition of an owner. Although the president did not earn the reputation as being a violent or physically extremely punishing slave owner, he did, on occasion, lose his temper. Ona judge maneuvered through her daily tasks at the president s house with a smooth watchfulness. Perhaps, attending to Martha Washington with extra care as she helped her dress for the day. For seven years, judge had served her mistress well up north. She became more thartha washing closest body slave. All who knew the washingtons on a personal level were familiar with judge. For she often accompanied her mistress on social calls. Since moving to new york and then philadelphia, the first ladys life was filled with socializing and public events. And so its important to realize that this relationship between mistress and slave and enslaved person at least in terms of ona judge, it was a very kind of intimate relationship. Not necessarily in the best of ways. But ona was around Martha Washington constantly, helping her with the most intimate responsibilities. Dressing. Bathing. Combing hair. And she was around. She heard everything that went on in the executive mansion. Judge understood her mistress. She knew just how much Martha Washington loved her grandchildren. She had outlived every single one of her children fathered by her first husband. Martha washington had no choice but to look to towards her grandchildren for hope and enjoyment. And although she was only 27 years old when she married George Washington, their marriage never yielded offspring. After the death of her son john, martha and George Washington welcomed two of his small children into their home. Raising them up through adulthood and i think thats a really interesting thing to think about the kind of intergenerational relationship or community that was actually there from the beginning with the first president. Lets hope we have a picture. We do. Judge must have witnessed the shock and concern of her owners after they read through the mail on february 6th. The president received a letter from eliza, his 19yearold step grandchild, informing her grandparents of her intention to marry. Eliza wrote of her engagement to thomas law. A british businessman who had came to america only recently before, in 1794. And became involved in Land Development in and around the federal city. Law met eliza, who was 20 years his junior, and a romance turned into an engagement. Elizas father was deceased. And, in some ways, George Washington stood in as one of the sort of appropriate surrogates to approve, or reject, the marriage proposal. The news must have sent the executive mansion into a tailspin. Although this was very personal family business, everyone who lived within the walls of the president s house knew exactly what was happening. And its interesting, when we read some of the letters john ada adams writes about this kind of interesting situation. This relationship that elizas entering into. There were questions about who this thomas law was. And he writes writes home about the situation. Neither george, nor Martha Washington, knew 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 of whom were the offspring from a relationship with an indian woman. They were biracial. His biracial children and his age, most certainly, raised the eyebrows of the washingtons. They were also concerned that he might decide to go back to england squ england and could take eliza with him. Ona judge watched her owners feel their way through the dramatic events of 1796. Martha washingtons concerns must have turned to optimism because, by the end of the months, she began to publicly announce the upcoming matrimony. She sort of moved through her fear, her concern, her anger for not knowing about this. And began to sort of think about this union in the most positive way possible. Ona judge had no idea that the acceptance of the marriage by both george and Martha Washington would begin the unraveling of her life. So eliza married thomas law on march 21st, 1796. And the marriage signalled the beginning of major changes for the washingtons and for their slaves. Judge, most certainly, knew that her time in philadelphia was limited. By the march wedding of eliza, close family knew that George Washington would not run again for president. This was no secret in the executive mansion. And eventually, all of their lives would change once they returned to mt. Vernon. The idea of reconnecting with loved ones in virginia must have given some of the slaves in the executive mansion reason to celebrate. But judge had lived in the north for seven years. And the thought of returning to mt. Vernon did not settle well