Recognizing, recounting, educating, and healing
Reflection by Alonna Carter-Donaldson, Public Historian, Visiting Lecturer at University of Pittsburgh
I was honored to attend the Slave Dwelling Project Conference. I attended because I recently read Joseph McGill and Herb Frazier’s book, Sleeping with the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery, and was intrigued by their work. I appreciated that the conference was held in Philadelphia because it gave me insight into an aspect of slavery that I had only briefly touched on in my journey as a historian. Coming from the City of Pittsburgh, we were surrounded by the names of slaveholders on our city streets: Neville, Craig, Bouquet, and many more. However, these men’s stories were primarily taught in our schools as stories of people involved in the Revolutionary War, patriots who fought for freedom. Their entire stories were not revealed until I was in graduate school. Furthermore, the institution of slavery as a whole in the North was never discussed, except in the context of the Underground Railroad and Pennsylvania being a state that freedom-seekers journeyed to.
While all of the sessions I attended were amazing and brilliant, I think the one that stood out to me the most was given by Keith Stokes, whose topic was "The First Emancipation: Forging Free African Heritage in Early America." I never knew that Rhode Island had such a long history of enslavement, nor did I know that the Free African Union and Free African Education Societies originated out of it. Hearing this expanded my view beyond Pennsylvania and enlightened me about my ancestors' attempts to unify so much earlier than the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Before that, I understood that these attempts to collectively pursue freedom from a more organized standpoint in the late 18th and early 19th century only existed in places like Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.
Reflecting on the conference, the preservation of slave dwellings is essential because they keep the memory not only of those who endured the hellish system of slavery but also remind us that we always need to be telling the whole story of how our country was created, and the people whose labor was responsible for its survival to the present. It is not a pretty story but integral to our history. Recognizing, recounting, and educating each other about this history is also part of a necessary healing process that America has yet to undergo. As a public historian and an educator in higher education, I plan to use the knowledge I gained at the conference to help my students fully understand slavery, which was ubiquitous and has touched many of the institutions they are familiar with. I hope it inspires them to take up the mantle and continue contributing to new scholarship.
Editor's note: You can find Sleeping with the Ancestors at Bookshop.org or your local library.
Compelled to Share Expertise and Knowledge
By Dolly L. Marshall, Historian and Preservationist,
Mount Peace Cemetery Association, City of Camden
I wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for the opportunity to attend the 2024 Slave Dwelling Project Conference founded by Joseph McGill Jr. This session was the 8th conference, however it was my first time participating in this event. I went as an attendee and also a presenter.
I wanted to attend the conference because I had a previous interest in Mr. McGill’s work and of the five-part mission of his organization.
I am a historian, preservationist, trustee of Mount Peace Cemetery, and the first African American as well as the first woman to hold the title of Historian for neighboring Camden, NJ, so I felt compelled to share my expertise and knowledge with others. Moreover, I am a descendant of James Forten, Sr., one of colonial Philadelphia’s Black founders, abolitionists, activists and entrepreneurs. At the Slave Dwelling Project Conference, I presented a documentary film I produced, Champion For Freedom: The Reverend Alexander Heritage Newton Story. The documentary presents Newton's upbringing in North Carolina to an enslaved father and free mother, his work in support of the Underground Railroad, his abolitionist efforts in New Jersey and New York, and the many historical events he would find himself in the midst of in his pursuit of equality for people of color. The film’s subject and theme aligned perfectly with the interpretation of the conference theme, “The Illusion of Freedom,” not only in Philadelphia, but across Northeast America and Canada. It was a pleasure to showcase my work and also engross myself in the current restorative history work of others.
I know the information I received while attending the SDP Conference will continue to resonate for some time to come, and I will continuously reflect upon the great historical knowledge given at this cultural and educational gathering.
Editor’s Note: Dolly Marshall is also the 2024 recipient of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Emerging Leaders Award. Read more about the award here.
Attending Northern Schools Named for Enslavers
Reflection by Jewell A. Newton, Eden Cemetery and Black Docents Collective
I have been traveling across the U.S. for at least eight years in order to learn about and experience sites along the Underground Railroad (UGRR). Attending the Slave Dwelling Project Conference was another way for me to learn more about UGRR sites and the UGRR as it existed in the northern sector of the country. Attending the conference also reinforced much of what I’ve learned through my travels and enhanced my knowledge base as well.
What was of most significance for me was learning more about Brookline, Massachusetts, the enslavers who resided there, and the children who have taken an active part in renaming the schools that had been named for those who enslaved people of African descent. As I spent my college years in Boston, it was also of interest that one of my courses was held at a school that was named for an enslaver; the conversation that I had with the enslaver’s descendant was enlightening.
The sessions were many. Choosing was often difficult due to the fact that just about all of the topics were of interest to me. The presenters were top notch. The discussion at Cliveden (I did not stay for the overnight) was an open and honest discussion that offered constructive comments on what could be done to provide visitors with a unique experience on enslavement in an urban setting.
Overall, I was enthralled with the conference and I’d like to thank Mr. McGill and all those who have worked with him in putting together the conference and for founding the Slave Dwelling Project. I do look forward to attending more conferences and events sponsored by SDP.
Revealing an Under-represented History of Radical Community Organizing
Reflection by Christopher R. Rogers, Co-Coordinator, Friends of the Tanner House
Thanks to the folks at the Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites, I was able to attend the 2024 Slave Dwelling Project Conference in Philadelphia. I was not aware of the community before, and felt gratitude for being introduced to many people from around the country who share a similar passion for exploring our difficult yet truthful histories as a means to advance a more just world.
The highlight of my experience was attending the session, Black Organizational Support for Freedom Seekers, that was led by 1838 Black Metropolis. There’s a bit of bias here: I consider Michiko Quinones and Morgan Lloyd to be on the frontlines of a generation of Black memory workers in Philadelphia who are showing us the possibilities of how to bring history alive in our communities. I’ve been heavily impressed by their commitment to archival research and embracing opportunities to share the lessons and wisdom they have gained in innovative ways. Their website is a treasure trove. You should visit it immediately: https://www.1838blackmetropolis.com/
Their presentation showcased an underrepresented history of the various institutions, organizations, and collectives that were part of Philadelphia’s Underground Railroad. There were many names of individuals mentioned throughout, yet the focus on collectivity pushed us to think beyond the “heroic individual” narrative of history into understanding that making spaces for freedom has to be a community, has to be networked, and has to consider multiple avenues of how it is to be sustained. It should be, at times, illegible and concealed to those who wish it harm. But it also has to be protected, by any effective means. It was refreshing to recognize the forms of radical community organizing, even when they knew to announce that it was radical would be an open invitation to fatal violence. Everybody didn’t need to know everything. And that is what makes Black freedom-seeking archival research such a tenuous yet important endeavor. You are looking for traces of choices, movements, and infrastructure that were in many ways designed to be hidden.
Michiko and Morgan led an amazing presentation, and folks can dig deeper into their Black Associations in Pre-Civil War Philadelphia Framework on their webpage. There’s much to be gained here for us all.
Knowledgeable Presenters Share Under-told Truths
Reflection by Jacqueline J. Wiggins, board member, Society to Preserve Philadelphia's African American Assets and docent, The Johnson House
I am appreciative of being sponsored by the Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites (CPCRS) to attend the “Slave Dwelling Project Conference.” Personally, I wasn’t aware of this project and was curious about the intent.
Well, my curiosity was satisfied, to a point, as I am committed to the narrative of enslavement being lifted and understood to people of all ages and backgrounds, and conferences like this assist in expanding this knowledge.
One of the sessions I found interesting was Jim Fussell’s, “Black Resistance in Quaker Enslaver Households.” His chart, titled “A Spectrum of Resistance” gave a listing of “risks” that Africans undertook to self-liberate physically and mentally. His quoting from the book Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship (McDaniel and Julye, 2009), and the Friends Journal (2019) was a reminder for me to use such information when I give tours of the Johnson House, as this was a Quaker household, the second generation of whom were the abolitionists. Many of the sessions were surprising because of the research that has and is being done on enslavement, some of which I am aware of, but some not. For instance, I found that the number of presenters were more informed and knowledgeable about enslavement than I expected. And, I found myself engaged in exchanges about language. For example, I take issue with the words “Freedom Seekers” and found there were others as presenters and audience members who did, too. A few more acceptable terms that were discussed included: “self-liberators or self-emancipators.”
The sessions on “A Lawful Business…”, “The Fight Back to Freedom…” and “Confronting the Illusion of Freedom…” were insightful with some presenters adding their personal journey to becoming “enlightened” which I found somewhat refreshing.
I volunteer as a board member of SPPAAA (Society to Preserve African American Assets) and serve as a docent at an intact Underground Railroad (UGRR) stop in historic Germantown, Philadelphia, called the Johnson House Historic Site, Inc. When I began working there, I clearly recall my limited knowledge about enslavement, the UGRR, Quakers, and Philadelphia history in general. I remain grateful to the scholars, researchers, and bibliophile activists like the late Charles Blockson who provided critical insight and knowledge to improve my deficits. Fortunately, gatherings like the Slave Dwelling Project Conference provide yet another avenue for current research to be shared and opportunities for further strategies and projects being developed.
My initial comment about the conference providing a sense of satisfaction “to a point” is because the work of “telling the ‘snaggle-tooth truth’” about African enslavement in its totality, throughout the diaspora, remains insufficient and under-told at best.
Conferences like the “Slave Dwelling Project” are opportunities to continue sharing this vital information for America, who needs “truth” overwhelmingly more than “dare.”
Learn more about the Slave Dwelling Project and the conference here. View a PDF of the program from "Illusions of Freedom: Slavery in the Northern States" here.
