Hundreds of enslaved Black residents of Prince George's County challenged slavery in the courts between the late 1700s and early 1800s. Learn from distinguished legal experts about the judicial system that enabled them to courageously fight for freedom even when they lacked agency and basic human rights.
Part of the Freedom Stories series, co-presented by the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Joe's Movement Emporium, and Prince George's Community College Center for Performing Arts, with additional support from Maryland Humanities.
Featured guests:
The Honorable Sean. D. Wallace, Judge, Circuit Court, Seventh Circuit of Maryland
Gabriel J. Christian, Attorney
Renée Battle-Brooks, Executive Director, Prince George's County Office of Human Rights
Request accessibility support at least 72 hours in advance by emailing pr@pgcmls.info or calling (240) 455-5451.
This event will go Live March 30th at 7pm and can be watched below!
About "Freedom Stories".
Read below and visit our dedicated page!
Freedom Stories will discover the histories, stories, names, and places where freedom from enslavement and oppression began in Prince George’s County. Through dialogue facilitated by programs, Freedom Stories will strive to connect legacy to present day Prince George’s families and provide insight into the determination and resilience of Blacks living in Prince George’s County in the 1700’s. We explore history to create a more just and equitable present experience.
Programs produced in partnership between:
Prince George’s County Memorial Library System
Prince George's County Office of Human Rights
Joe’s Movement Emporium
Prince George’s Community College Center for Performing Arts
Prince George’s County Historical Society
Maryland Humanities
“Many Americans see enslaved people in history as a faceless and nameless, victims of a long-ago system that has now disappeared. The nation needs to experience…: a confrontation, a reckoning, with real people, with real histories, with real families whose descendants live among us. Until such encounters happen more widely, Americans will continue to live in separate historical spheres of understanding”. – William G. Thomas III, "A Question of Freedom"