Freedom on the Move: Digital History and Beyond

Dr. Kathryn Benjamin Golden talks to Dr. Hyman about growing up in the Bay Area of California and her new book, This Insurgent Ground: Black Women, Marronage, and Rebellion in the Great Dismal Swamp. She also shares a random nature moment that involves MEGAFAUNA!

BY THE WAY-- In the middle there is a brief moment of quiet due to a tech hiccup but we pick right back up.

Get Kathryn's book here:

https://uncpress.org/9781469697970/this-insurgent-ground/

So this is from my other podcast, Random Nature.

Because I am speaking with an historian and he studies race and enslavement, I am sharing this episode with the Freedom on the Move podcast.

ENJOY!

Today we take you back to 1847–48, when thirteen enslaved people bolted north from Maryland and found refuge with abolitionist Daniel Kauffman (Christy says David a few times, that's a speak-o) only to face a high-stakes lawsuit from their former owner, Mary M. Oliver. Over years of courtroom battles and appeals, their daring flight and Kauffman’s moral stand reveal the fierce legal and social forces arrayed against freedom. Christy draws a line to today’s struggles over erasing slavery from our public memory and spotlight the ongoing fight to honor the past and protect the most vulnerable. Subscribe for a powerful story of courage, resistance, and why we must keep freedom’s flame alive.

In this episode of the Freedom on the Move podcast, Christy takes listeners on a journey to Lewes, Delaware, during the mid-1800s, highlighting the daring escape of four enslaved men: William Thomas Cope, John Boice Grey, Henry Boice, and Isaac White. Faced with brutal conditions under their owners, they unite to flee by oar across the tumultuous Delaware Bay to seek freedom in New Jersey. After an exhausting 18-hour journey, they find help from a sympathetic oysterman who guides them to Philadelphia. There, they meet William Still, a key figure in the Anti-Slavery Society, who aids them in starting anew. This episode emphasizes the courage and resilience of those who risked everything for freedom along the Underground Railroad.

In this episode, I delve into my quest for remnants of the Underground Railroad on Cape Cod. This gripping journey leads me to contemplate how the sea offers fresh insights into surfaces, depths, and planetary resources, prompting a reexamination of the freedom seeker change agents' mobility with a broader perspective. The remarkable story of Jonathan Walker's unwavering commitment to justice and freedom, his tumultuous experiences at sea, and his unwavering fight against slavery showcases his resilience, bravery, and steadfast dedication to his beliefs. Walker's odyssey epitomizes the enduring human spirit in the relentless pursuit of justice and emancipation. 

In this episode, I discuss the important role that the Data Fellows play as the next generation of scholars of enslavement.

In this episode, we get to know some of the Digital Archive Assistants working at the American Antiquarian Society for the Freedom on the Move project. I speak to John Mackey, Cassandra Werking, Timi Ojo, and Eric Gaither!

This episode examines the methodological approaches to history that have perpetuated the erasure of Afro-descendant community experiences while offering insight into how archival organizing logics limit research discovery of historically marginalized groups.

People mentioned, Edouard Glissant, Nicolás Kanellos, Luis Valdez, Miguel Piñero Nicholasa Mohr, Victor Villaseñor, Helena María Viramontes, Linda Garcia Merchant, Maria Cotera, Lorena Gauthereau, Carolina Villereal, Tara White

Host Christy Hyman, creator of the Random Nature Podcast and historical geographer, takes listeners on a journey through how history is researched and made.
This podcast will introduce listeners to the world of digital history through an important database of enslaved freedom seekers: Freedom on the Move, a database of enslaved freedom seekers.
We will discuss the history, the people, the places of freedom and unfreedom and how we deliver this work to the public.

People mentioned:
Christy Hyman 
Bill Block
Megan Jeffreys
Ed Baptist
Eric Gaither
John Garcia
Elizabeth Pope

Places mentioned:
Worcester, MA
Great Dismal Swamp
Bertie County, N.C.
Edenton, N.C.

Learn more:
https://freedomonthemove.org/

https://www.americanantiquarian.org/