Advocates for a more complete American history have marked the 230th anniversary of Ona Judge's escape from slavery, with events in Philadelphia and New Hampshire highlighting her story amid ongoing political disputes over historical narratives.
Judge, born into slavery on George Washington's plantation, fled the president's official residence in Philadelphia on May 21, 1796, at the age of 22. She hid on a boat to New Hampshire, where she later married and had three children. The anniversary has been officially declared Ona Judge Day in Philadelphia.
A rally at the President's House site in Philadelphia on Thursday drew participants who chanted “Tell the truth! Restore our history!” after hearing from activists fighting to restore exhibits about Judge and other enslaved people. The panels were removed in January following an executive order from President Donald Trump, which targeted information deemed “disparaging” to Americans. Some exhibits, including a panel featuring Judge, were restored after a judge's order, but the work remains halted pending an appeal.
Cindy Bass, a Philadelphia City Council member, said: “We remember her courage, her passion, her determination, that we make sure that in no way, shape or form she is ever forgotten.” Dawn Chavous, a volunteer for the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, added: “You can’t love America without knowing the good, the bad and the ugly. Slavery was part of our American story, and that is not something that we should hide or run away from.”
In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a 13-by-25-foot mural of Judge is being unveiled on a building owned by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. The organisation, which has featured her story for years, said: “At a time when stories of struggle and freedom are being erased, New Hampshire is choosing something different: to make the quest for freedom visible, permanent, and undeniable.”
