MyNameMatters - Freedom Seekers

A Usable Past

In this project, we explored more than just the events of the past; we examined how narratives of history are utilized and sometimes distorted in the present day. Our focus was on the contemporary implications of historical accounts and how different versions of the past shape current politics, activism, and systems of oppression. We critically analyzed the agendas that influence what is included or excluded in the histories passed down to us through schools, museums, historic sites, and popular culture. Special attention was given to the efforts of African American activists who have fought to uncover and teach a more honest history, highlighting why this struggle was—and continues to be—vital to both them and to us today.

Tubman Museum Curator Jeff Bruce speaks with Mercer students about the “Freedom Seekers” exhibit during the planning stages in fall 2024. Photo by Christopher Ian Smith

Human Interest and Diversity Didactics

Bill

Georgia Messenger

4 May 1837

“I think it likely that some white person may have given him a free pass, or enticed him off, as there are, no doubt, many of Marrell's gang lurking through our state.”

Bill, “well known on the road between Macon and Augusta as a wagoneer,” had been working on his own with his team of animals from early January to late April, when he ran away. This notice illustrates the diversity of roles of enslaved people played in the local economy, some of them with a degree of freedom and independence. The distance between Macon and Augusta by wagon could take ten hours to travel, and Bill has several hundred dollars with him, being the proceeds of his freight.” The notice also feared the involvement of John Murrell’s gang, a white bandit known for “slave stealing” throughout the 1830s.

Judy and Unity

Macon Weekly Telegraph

6 November 1838

“Judy...she may pass for a white man's wife. She is small and slender built, and is about 25 or 26 years of age, and might be taken to be younger…The child is a girl, almost white, and about seven years old, named Unity.”

Judy and her daughter Unity could pass as white and would be harder to detect by any interested parties in capturing them. Their light color could provide them with opportunities to escape slavery and navigate society with a degree of anonymity. However, this also came with its own set of challenges and dangers, as the constant threat of being discovered or assaulted may have loomed over them.

Media About The Exhibit

Ads for runaway slaves tell story of Macon’s past in student-curated exhibit

Tubman Museum Curator Jeff Bruce speaks with Mercer students about the “Freedom Seekers” exhibit during the planning stages in fall 2024. Photo by Christopher Ian Smith