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An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom: Master Slave Husband Wife

Sunday, May 7 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Residence Inn Berkeley - Ballroom 1

  • History & Biography
  • Race

Ilyon Woo

Scholars of American history have uncovered and recounted countless remarkable stories of the courage and resourcefulness of enslaved and formerly enslaved people. But it’s no exaggeration to say that the one Ilyon Woo relates in Master Slave Husband Wife is, as Imani Perry writes, “one of the most important stories of American slavery and freedom.” The story of Ellen and William Craft’s journey toward self-emancipation is nothing short of astonishing—and the way in which Woo narrates the story is nothing short of nail-biting. Traveling from Macon, Georgia, to Philadelphia and later to Boston, Ellen Craft (who could pass as white) disguised herself as a disabled white man, and her husband William posed as “his” slave. Their ingenuity and bravery brought them instant celebrity in the North—and potential peril, as the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act put them in danger of enslavement all over again. Join accomplished researcher and brilliant storyteller Ilyon Woo for an unforgettable journey through, as Marlon James calls it, one of “the truly great American stories.”

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Book signing information: Sausalito Books by the Bay, at the venue

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