PORTSMOUTH — The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will host a Juneteenth event titled “Never Caught: The Defiant Journey of Ona Marie Judge Staines.”
The program will take place on Thursday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, and will shed light on the remarkable life of Ona Judge, a woman born into slavery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate who courageously escaped to freedom in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The event features a dramatic reading of Ona Judge’s 1845 interview, originally published in The Granite Freeman (Concord, N.H.), performed by acclaimed New Hampshire actress Sandi Clarke Kaddy. Following the reading, Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist “Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge,” will discuss Judge’s story and its lasting significance in the American struggle for freedom and justice.
The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will host a Juneteenth discussion on Ona Marie Judge on Thursday, June 12, 2025, exploring her defiant journey to freedom and its significance in American history.
“Ona’s courageous act of self-liberation speaks to the larger American story of enslavement, the relentless quest for freedom, and the systemic forces that sought to maintain racial oppression,” said JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of NH. “We are looking forward to this event and offering deeper insight into Ona’s story and its lasting significance in American history.”
Presented in partnership with the Currier Museum of Art, this program is part of the Black Heritage Trail’s mission to share the untold stories of African American history in the Granite State. Admission is free, but space is limited. For reservations, visit blackheritagetrailnh.org or call 603-570-8469.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Black Heritage Trail of NH to host Juneteenth event on Ona Judge
