Westminster Presbyterian Church in Southwest DC Presents: Remember the Pearl, Commemorating the Historic Escape for Freedom by Enslaved Persons in 1848 From the Southwest Waterfront with C.R. Gibbs & Dawne Young, Edmonson Descendant
April 15, 2021 – 7:00 PM EST on Zoom
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One hundred seventy-three years ago to the date, in the twilight of a spring Saturday night, 77 enslaved men, women, and children, quietly left their master’s quarters and stole away to freedom aboard a commercial schooner called the Pearl. It was the largest attempt in the country by enslaved persons to escape their chains of bondage. Their daring deed led to a major riot in the city. All were recaptured and sold off down south. But, their audacity to seek freedom shook the very foundations of the American ideas of liberty, justice, and equality. This program honors their strength, courage, fortitude to risk it all for the chance to be free.
From April 16 – 18th, you can visit the memorial site at the SW Duck Pond at 6th & I Streets, SW.