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Emeline Thompson
(Photo provided)

A new program titled “Celebrating the Enslaved Heroine of the Lemmon Slave Case: A High-water Mark for the New York Courts,” is livestreaming Tuesday, May 21 at 6 p.m.

This event, free to attend, is presented by the Historical Society of the New York Courts, the New York state Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The program will feature the world premiere audio drama “How Emeline Got Free: An Untold Story of History.”

In 1852, the eight-year journey of the Lemmon Slave Case began when a New York trial court helped to free eight enslaved young women and children who sailed into the New York harbor with their enslavers from Virginia. As the case reached the Court of Appeals, the court’s ruling was in direct conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision in 1857. The case represented the most unyielding statement made against slavery by any court in the United States prior to the Civil War.

Visit the society’s website to register for this free event: https://history.nycourts.gov/events/celebrating-heroine-lemmon-slave-case.

“How Emeline Got Free” is a 30-minute audio drama produced by the Historical Society of the New York Courts that tells the story of the landmark Lemmon Slave Case from the perspective of Emeline Thompson, the eldest of the eight enslaved women and children whose freedom was at stake at this 1852 trial.

The presentation will be followed by a discussion with the director Mustapha Khan, author of “The Eight: The Lemmon Slave Case and The Fight for Freedom,” Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt, and the actors, moderated by Hon. Dianne T. Renwick, presiding justice of the Appellate Division, First Department, and vice-chair of the society’s board of trustees.

“‘How Emeline Got Free’ tells the story of a young enslaved woman who, despite the odds, fought for her freedom and that of her children in the New York courts,” said Renwick. “Until now, her story remained largely untold.

“Judge Rosenblatt did a magnificent job of unearthing the legal battle and tracing the descendants of Emeline and those freed along with her. Using Judge Rosenblatt’s historical research on the case and surviving narratives of enslaved people, Mustapha Khan produced an awe-inspiring audio podcast that brings life to a woman who, to history, was previously just a name,” Renwich added. “The discussion will further illuminate the relevance of the case today and how storytelling can inform our shared understanding of history. I look forward to moderating this important discussion for the benefit of the Schomburg Center’s members, the African American community, and all who are interested in this inspiring piece of our national heritage.”