Female Abolitionists and Runaway Slaves Focus of Talk at Arcadia University

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar, author and Charles and Mary Beard professor of History at Rutgers University, presented at Arcadia University on March 5 on female abolitionists and runaway slaves, before an airing of the documentary  Sisters in Freedom, a film on which she consulted.

Earlier in the day, Dr. Dunbar met with students in the course “The African American Experience in Philadelphia,” which explores the complex history of Africans/African Americans in Philadelphia from the late 1700’s to present day. She spoke about her research into Ona Judge, an escaped slave of George Washington and the subject of her newest book,  Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, which was recently named as a non-fiction finalist for the National Book Awards. Additionally, she discussed her research and it ties to the history of Philadelphia, such as how the city served as a major stop on the Underground Railroad and a center of hope for free African Americans.

This event was hosted by the Office of Institutional Diversity, Black Awareness Society, Act 101/Gateway to Success Programs, Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, POWER, Melanin in Action, University Relations, Enrollment Management, Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice Department, Office of Engagement and New Student Programs, and Pan African Studies Department, with collaboration students in “The African American Experience in Philadelphia.”