We all agree that all human beings deserve freedom, but what is our responsibility to enable that freedom? Dr. It also speaks to our need for a wider, and more diverse, pantheon of heroes and heroines who seem to represent both human and national values of freedom, courage, and determination. Her rediscovery speaks to our modern willingness to see our national heroes in a more complex light, as slaveholders but also as people concerned about their personal and historical image. What did it mean to resist and be complicit in the slave-holding ideology of the late 18th and early 19th centuries? How does New England’s slave-holding past shape its present? And how can considering the ways citizens and slaves in this story understood their ethical responsibilities shape our own sense of responsibility as a citizen? Dunbar’s talk urges us to challenge our assumptions and consider questions that are pressing today. The divide between “complicity” and “resistance” in the lives of Judge, New Hampshire politicians, and the Washingtons seem absolute Dr. George Washington so feared the impact of her freedom story on his reputation that he went to great lengths to ensure her return, seeking political favors while New Hampshire officials deftly misdirected these requests. Born into slavery at Mount Vernon, Judge fled to New Hampshire in her ’20s and lived there as a fugitive until her death at 75.
On January 23, the public is invited to hear Dunbar speak at an event supported by New Hampshire Humanities and hosted by Saint Anselm College at the Dana Center for the Humanities, followed by a moderated panel discussion.ĭunbar’s work beautifully demonstrates the power of the humanities to help us grapple with the complexity of American identity and resistance in the life of Oney Judge.
Erica Armstrong Dunbar in her new book, Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, which was nominated for a 2017 National Book Award. Why do we remember some stories about the past while passively “forgetting” or actively erasing others? The story of a courageous young woman who resisted her shackles and left everything she knew to find freedom is told by Dr. When she was told that she was going to be given as a wedding gift to Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Ona made the bold and brave decision to flee to the north, where she would be a fugitive.įrom her childhood, to her time with the Washingtons and living in the slave quarters, to her escape to New Hampshire, Erica Armstrong Dunbar, along with Kathleen Van Cleve, shares an intimate glimpse into the life of a little-known, but powerful figure in history, and her brave journey as she fled the most powerful couple in the country.Rethinking Resistance: Ona Judge, the Washingtons’ runaway slave, and the meanings of escape In this incredible narrative, Erica Armstrong Dunbar reveals a fascinating and heartbreaking behind-the-scenes look at the Washingtons when they were the First Family-and an in-depth look at their slave, Ona Judge, who dared to escape from one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.īorn into a life of slavery, Ona Judge eventually grew up to be George and Martha Washington’s “favored” dower slave. “Accessible…Necessary.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Ī School Library Journal Best Nonfiction Book of 2019!Ī National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction, Never Caught is the eye-opening narrative of Ona Judge, George and Martha Washington’s runaway slave, who risked everything for a better life-now available as a young reader’s edition! “A brilliant work of US history.” - School Library Journal (starred review)
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