Eleven Names Project
@elevennames.bsky.social
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Snapshots of enslaved life in Massachusetts by Wayne Tucker.
https://elevennames.substack.com/
pinned post!
The woman known as Phoebe Abdee, Phebe Savil Oliphant, was born enslaved in Col. John Quincy's household. She helped raise Quincy's granddaughter, Abigail Adams, and maintained a life-long connection to Abigail and her family.
elevennames.substack.com/p/abigail-ad...
9 months ago
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Bill R aka N1VUX
2 months ago
@elevennames.bsky.social
, someone is handling their enslaving clergy with visible leadership.
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Clint Smith
3 months ago
I debated writing this. It can feel tempting, upon encountering yet another instance of this administration’s racism, to let it be. How many ways can you say the same thing over and over again? And yet we have to write it down, if for nothing else, so those who come after us know we were against it.
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Actually, Slavery Was Very Bad
The president’s latest criticism of museums is a thinly veiled attempt to erase Black history.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/trump-attack-smithsonian-slavery/683969/?gift=JORs3BlPb0E7W_6BAebCaJN1Mh7EJKQaGGCyaAfRDYI&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
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Thomas Lecaque
3 months ago
"How bad slavery was" is worse. Much worse. Much worse than you think, much worse than you're taught, much worse than museums depict. Worse.
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I wanted to include this excerpt in my Phebe post, but I shortened it. Here, Mary Smith Cranch wrote to her sister Abigail Adams in Philadelphia in 1798 describing cruel treatment of a Black woman and her child, and Phebe's remarkable reaction. You should read it!
www.masshist.org/publications...
9 months ago
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Jocelyn
9 months ago
🗃️
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Phoebe lived the last 20 years of her life in Quincy, MA—a town named for the man who enslaved her parents, herself, and her five siblings. The name "Phoebe Abdee" never appears in the archives. The Adams Papers editors likely constructed this name in the 1960s.
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The woman known as Phoebe Abdee, Phebe Savil Oliphant, was born enslaved in Col. John Quincy's household. She helped raise Quincy's granddaughter, Abigail Adams, and maintained a life-long connection to Abigail and her family.
elevennames.substack.com/p/abigail-ad...
9 months ago
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I wanted to include this excerpt in my Phebe post, but I shortened it. Here, Mary Smith Cranch wrote to her sister Abigail Adams in Philadelphia in 1798 describing cruel treatment of a Black woman and her child, and Phebe's remarkable reaction. You should read it!
www.masshist.org/publications...
9 months ago
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The woman known as Phoebe Abdee, Phebe Savil Oliphant, was born enslaved in Col. John Quincy's household. She helped raise Quincy's granddaughter, Abigail Adams, and maintained a life-long connection to Abigail and her family.
elevennames.substack.com/p/abigail-ad...
9 months ago
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Dropping tomorrow. Also, the name "Phoebe Abdee" was likely constructed in the 1960s. I reveal two surnames *Phebe went by, and I can name her parents and original enslaver. Hint: a local municipality is named after her original enslaver.
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9 months ago
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Who wants to know more about Phoebe Abdee, the enslaved woman who helped raise Abigail Adams? I’m polishing up a new piece. But for now:
www.historynet.com/abigail-adam...
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Abigail Adams on 'The Only Surviving Parent I Have'
Abigail Adams and former slave Phoebe Abdee forged an unusual bond.
https://www.historynet.com/abigail-adams-on-the-only-surviving-parent-i-have/
9 months ago
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Caitlin G. DeAngelis
9 months ago
26. 1783 discharge for Primus Slocum of Rehoboth/Seekonk, Massachusetts, who served as a fifer in the 1st Rhode Island during the Revolutionary War. Learn more about Primus Slocum (and many other enslaved people in southeastern Mass) from Wayne Tucker:
@elevennames.bsky.social
eleven-names.com
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Jean's Sands
9 months ago
Reposting this thread because it is good in so many ways. Side note:
@elevennames.bsky.social
did a piece on Betty Cooper awhile back
elevennames.substack.com/p/january-3-...
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Laurie Halse Anderson
9 months ago
On Feb 23 Thomas was arrested for encouraging enslaved people in Natick to free themselves next time the militia was called out. He was jailed in Concord until May, when a court ruled there was no evidence & freed him. Boston 1775 has much more on the case!
tinyurl.com/y4f8ey27
#RevWarDaily
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“We are not asking for favors. We are seeking justice for the people whose suffering built Harvard into what it is today,” Browne told the radio station. “Our ancestors worked for centuries without pay, and their labor fueled Harvard’s early development.”
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
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Antiguan Ambassador Condemns Slavery Remembrance Program Layoffs, Demands Reparations in Letter to Garber | News | The Harvard Crimson
Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the United States, Ronald M. Sanders, condemned Harvard’s decision to lay off the staff of the Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program, urging the University to step up...
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/2/12/antigua-garber-message/
9 months ago
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Liz Covart
9 months ago
New Episode of
#BFWorld
#Podcast
! Did you know that many of the food traditions that define cuisine in the United States have roots in African American culinary history? Join Food Historian Diane M. Spivey for an exploration of the rich and complex legacy of African & African American foodways.
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Episode 404: Diane M. Spivey, How Black Chefs Shaped Early America
Discover how African American cooking influenced colonial success and the American Revolution. Culinary historian Diane M. Spivey reveals the untold story of Black culinary activism.
https://benfranklinsworld.com/episode-404-african-american-culinary-history-how-black-chefs-shaped-early-america/
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“The hard part of identifying Harvard slaves and their direct descendants isn’t the finding. It’s the looking. There are a million reasons not to look.”
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
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Harvard Didn’t Just Kill Its Slavery Research Team. It Flunked History of Slavery 101. | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
Many people are shocked and saddened at how badly Harvard has stumbled in its efforts to reveal and repair the legacy of slavery at Harvard. These stumbles may in fact be the most eloquent expression...
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/2/10/cellini-harvard-legacy-of-slavery/
9 months ago
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Liz Covart
10 months ago
Finishing work on a great episode with Leslie Harris about the history of slavery in New York City and the many important contributions Africans and African Americans made to early New York. It will be out later this month.
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Susie
10 months ago
Holy cow
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Anyone here study Zerviah Gould Mitchell? I may have an unpublished poem of hers.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zerviah...
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Zerviah Gould Mitchell - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zerviah_Gould_Mitchell
10 months ago
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Anyone here study Zerviah Gould Mitchell? I may have an unpublished poem of hers.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zerviah...
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Zerviah Gould Mitchell - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zerviah_Gould_Mitchell
10 months ago
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Caitlin G. DeAngelis
10 months ago
A wonderful event tomorrow at the Robbins House in Concord with Dr. Jonathan Square: Fashioning Identity: The Garrisons and African American Fashion in Photography It looks like a virtual option is available. Register for free here:
robbinshouse.org/event/fashio...
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Fashioning Identity: The Garrisons and African American Fashion in Photography - The Robbins House
Feb 5, 7:00 PM: Fashion historian Jonathan Michael Square explores the historical significance of the Garrisons’ portraits in the context of African American fashion, and how these images fit into…
https://robbinshouse.org/event/fashioning-identity-the-garrisons-and-african-american-fashion-in-photography/
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Caitlin G. DeAngelis
10 months ago
A lovely thing about this era of gravestones from the Lamson family shop in Charlestown, Massachusetts is the occasional mix of carving depths. This stone (John Tufts, d.1728, Malden) is mostly carved in the usual deep style, but also has a lightly incised medallion that reminds me of embroidery.
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“SNATCHING DEFEAT from the jaws of victory.” That’s how Harvard historian Vincent Brown describes the University’s decision last Thursday. . .to abruptly lay off the staff of the Harvard Slavery Remembrance program (HSRP) and outsource its work.
www.harvardmagazine.com/2025/01/harv...
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A Shakeup at Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Initiative | Harvard Magazine
A research team’s abrupt layoff sparks wider concerns about the University project.
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2025/01/harvard-legacy-of-slavery-layoffs
10 months ago
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Caitlin G. DeAngelis
10 months ago
Vaccines save babies. Don't let anyone forget it. gravestone of Mary, Isaac, and Mary Brown, who died in 1740 and 1742, Waltham, Massachusetts (carved by Lamson family shop, Charlestown, MA)
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“The Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative identified at least 913 individuals enslaved by Harvard faculty, staff, and leadership and at least 403 of their living descendants, according to an internal report from December.”
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
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Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program Identified 913 Enslaved People, 403 Living Descendants Before Layoffs | News | The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative identified at least 913 individuals enslaved by Harvard faculty, staff, and leadership and at least 403 of their living descendants, according to an inte...
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/1/28/hsrp-december-report-descendants/
10 months ago
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Carceral Abolition
10 months ago
Harvard Under Fire for Slashing Slavery Initiative Staff as Black History Faces Nationwide Attacks The move raises questions about the institution’s commitment to its $100 million Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative.
wordinblack.com/2025/01/harv...
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Harvard Under Fire for Slashing Slavery Initiative Staff as Black History Faces Nationwide Attacks
The move raises questions about the institution's commitment to its $100 million Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative.
https://wordinblack.com/2025/01/harvard-under-fire-for-slashing-slavery-initiative-staff-as-black-history-faces-nationwide-attacks/
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Liz Covart
10 months ago
Did you know John Adams, not George Washington, solidified the precedents of the executive branch and presidency? Join
@lmchervinsky.bsky.social
for a re-evaluation of the Presidency of John Adams, including his deft handling the Crisis of 1798.
#BFWorld
#Podcasts
#History
#USHistory
#Politics
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Episode 403: Lindsay M. Chervinsky, From Crisis to Peace: Re-Evaluating the Presidency of John Adams
Did you know that John Adams, not George Washington, solidified the precedents of the executive branch and the presidency?
https://benfranklinsworld.com/presidency-john-adams/
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Follow up: Harvard does not treat my senior exempt colleagues (i.e., salaried) as kind. They are facing real crisis.
10 months ago
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I'm a member of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers. I'm grateful that they are my partner as the Harvard Corporation severs my employment.
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10 months ago
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Nathaniel C. Green
10 months ago
I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Brown speak at Wash U when I was a grad student and he was a guest. A stellar scholar and a good man. If you've pissed him off you've done something really bad.
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Vincent Brown calls the lay off of Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program “wasteful and vindictive.”
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
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Harvard Professor Vincent Brown Quits Legacy of Slavery Memorial Committee After University Lays Off Research Team | News | The Harvard Crimson
Harvard professor Vincent A. Brown resigned from a committee within the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative on Monday, condemning the University’s decision to lay off Harvard Slavery Remembranc...
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/1/28/vincent-brown-resigns-legacy-of-slavery/
10 months ago
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“The Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative identified at least 913 individuals enslaved by Harvard faculty, staff, and leadership and at least 403 of their living descendants, according to an internal report from December.”
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
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Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program Identified 913 Enslaved People, 403 Living Descendants Before Layoffs | News | The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative identified at least 913 individuals enslaved by Harvard faculty, staff, and leadership and at least 403 of their living descendants, according to an inte...
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/1/28/hsrp-december-report-descendants/
10 months ago
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Mary Eliza Project
10 months ago
Born
#OTD
, January 25, was one of the earliest Boston women to claim their equal right to vote: Zilpha Drew Smith (1852-1926). She registered to vote on August 4, 1920, weeks before Tennessee became the last state to ratify the 19th Amendment. Image: Registry from Boston City Archives
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Yesterday I spoke with NBC 10’s Malcolm Johnson about Harvard’s bogus decision to siphon endowment money out of the Legacy of Slavery Initiative to an outside contractor. Harvard Law student Sean Wynn also reacts.
youtu.be/dEzQ9JjJWnY?...
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Harvard lays off slavery remembrance program employees
YouTube video by NBC10 Boston
https://youtu.be/dEzQ9JjJWnY?si=CjagN4jCeBAQxpwM
10 months ago
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Lisa Snowden
10 months ago
Not everybody can leave their house, especially with Covid, RSV, and more still outside. Pratt Library’s Writers LIVE events are always streamed live. I have one this Tuesday with author Tamara Lanier.
www.eventbrite.com/e/tamara-lan...
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Tamara Lanier: "From These Roots"
Join us for an evening with author Tamara Lanier.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tamara-lanier-from-these-roots-tickets-1057250597999
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Yesterday I spoke with NBC 10’s Malcolm Johnson about Harvard’s bogus decision to siphon endowment money out of the Legacy of Slavery Initiative to an outside contractor. Harvard Law student Sean Wynn also reacts.
youtu.be/dEzQ9JjJWnY?...
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Harvard lays off slavery remembrance program employees
YouTube video by NBC10 Boston
https://youtu.be/dEzQ9JjJWnY?si=CjagN4jCeBAQxpwM
10 months ago
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"Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery researchers have not reviewed the full list of Overseers in the 17th and 18th centuries to identify all of those who were slaveholders; this is an important area for future research." H&LS Report, 2022. HSRP identified ALL the overseers. And they're mad we did.
10 months ago
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Caitlin G. DeAngelis
10 months ago
Don't take my word for it! Listen to Richard Cellini, the director of the Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program. But also, I was the lead researcher on the Harvard and the Legacies of Slavery Project for two years. I stand by Richard and his team.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2024...
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Caitlin G. DeAngelis
10 months ago
Please do not misunderstand what is happening here. Harvard is hiring American Ancestors to compile authoritative genealogies that fall within Harvard's own limited, ahistorical parameters. They have fired the researchers who were telling them very clearly that the parameters were inappropriate.
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Sarah T.
10 months ago
A fucking disgrace.
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💚 Mandi Barnard, Ph.D. 🍂🍁
10 months ago
👀 I worked on a similar project at another university searching for names of enslaved, and their descendants. This is troubling to watch even of the work continues with a contracted group. 🗃️
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Michael Girard, CA, PAA-NCGR
10 months ago
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Liz Covart
10 months ago
The outsourcing of connecting with the descendants of people Harvard enslaved is yet another way for the institution to try and distance itself from its past.
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Jérôme Melançon
10 months ago
And so the termination of efforts toward some kind of truth before justice continues
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FYI - The Crimson has updated and expanded its original report from earlier this afternoon.
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10 months ago
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Alex Gil
10 months ago
Harvard is acting like it has something to hide, isn't it? Also unconsciounable to leave all these folks without a livelyhood just like that.
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Matt “Gyro for our times" L
10 months ago
Profiles in Courage!
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Caitlin G. DeAngelis
10 months ago
that's the Harvard we know and love
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Caitlin G. DeAngelis
10 months ago
Also, Tamara Lanier's book about how Harvard actually treats the descendants of the enslaved people that the university continues to exploit is coming out next Tuesday, January 28. Pre-order it! From These Roots: My Fight With Harvard to Reclaim My Legacy
www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...
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