ABHM Book Club presents: Enslaved, Indentured, Free by Mary Elise Antoine

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We will be reading Enslaved, Indentured, Free: Five Black Women on the Upper Mississippi, 1800-1850 by Mary Elise Antoine, and discussing it virtually. This book narrates the stories of four Black women—Mariah, Patsey, Courtney, and Rachel—who were born into slavery and achieved freedom in Prairie du Chien. Each woman’s journey intertwined over five years, influenced by Marianne Labuche, a free Black woman. Mariah bought her freedom, while Patsey persisted after her enslavers died. Courtney and Rachel successfully filed freedom suits, shedding light on Wisconsin’s overlooked history of slavery.

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