New Canaan Library's video: New Canaan Library Presents: The History of Slavery and Race in Colonial New England

Please Join us on Tuesday, September 15 at 7 PM for the live webinar “The History of Slavery and Race in Colonial New England,” session one in the six-part series “The Start of Change: Addressing Racism.” Though the number of enslaved people in New England was not on par with the number of enslaved Africans in the Southern colonies, the existence of slavery in colonial New England cannot be ignored. In fact, enslaved African and indigenous labor was a visible aspect of life in colonial New England. Presented by Professor Justene Hill Edwards, assistant professor in the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia, the talk will explore the complex history of slavery in colonial New England and discuss how the experiences of enslaved people in New England shaped their fight for freedom into the 19th century. New Canaan Library, New Canaan Museum & Historical Society, New Canaan Community Foundation, Interfaith Council of New Canaan, and the Grace Farms Foundation are collaborating to co-host an important series to address our community’s understanding of race and racism. “The Start of Change: Addressing Racism” is a six-part series, designed to bring our community together in developing a common understanding of the history, policy, and experiences shaping present-day discussions of race. Professor Justene Hill Edwards is an assistant professor in the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia. A scholar of African-American history, Hill Edwards specializes in the history of slavery and the history of capitalism in the United States. She received her doctorate in history from Princeton University, holds an MA in African New World studies from Florida International University, and a BA in Spanish from Swarthmore College. Hill Edwards’ first book is Unfree Markets: The Slaves’ Economy and the Rise of Capitalism in South Carolina (forthcoming, March 2021 on Columbia University Press, in the Columbia Series in the History of U.S. Capitalism).