The Berkshires are rich in Black history that is little known and sometimes misunderstood.

1. Black History Month:
Influential People and Ideas
From or relating to Berkshire County

2. “The Berkshires are rich in Black history that is little
known and sometimes misunderstood.”
- Wray Gunn (https://npcberkshires.org/wray-gunn/)
In 1771, Berkshire County property tax records show there were:
• 19 enslaved humans of African descent in Sheffield;
• 7 enslaved humans of African descent in Stockbridge;
• 3 enslaved humans of African descent in Egremont.
Source: “Black Berkshires: A hidden and not-so-hidden legacy” by Andrew D. Blechman, The Berkshire Edge

3. Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman
The first enslaved African American to file and win a freedom suit in Massachusetts

4. ● Elizabeth Freeman, also known as “Mumbet” or “Bet,” was born into
slavery in 1742, and was given to the Ashley family of Sheffield,
Massachusetts in her early teens.
● After the Revolutionary War, Bet heard the Massachusetts Constitution
read aloud in the Ashley’s home, and heard these words from Article 1:
“All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential,
and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of
enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring,
possessing, and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and
obtaining their safety and happiness.”
● Bet sought out an attorney to sue for her freedom under the newly ratified
state constitution.
Source: Elizabeth Freeman Center Website

5. ● Bet pled her case in the Court of Common
Pleas in Great Barrington in August 1781.
● When the jury ruled in Bet’s favor, she
became the first African American woman to
be set free under the Massachusetts
constitution.
● Her case, Brom and Bett v. Ashley, served as
precedent in the State Supreme Court case
that brought an end to the practice of slavery
in Massachusetts in 1788.
● As a free woman, Bet and her daughter Betsy
bought and moved into their own house in
Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where Bet was
widely recognized and in demand for her skills
as a healer, midwife, and nurse.
Source: Elizabeth Freeman Center Website

6. W.E.B. Du Bois
American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist and author

7. ● W.E.B. Du Bois was born in Great Barrington, MA
● In 1885, Du Bois left home, studied in Berlin, and became the first African
American to graduate with a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
● Du Bois was one of the founders of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.
● By age thirty-five, Du Bois had published The Suppression of the African
Slave Trade, The Philadelphia Negro, and The Souls of Black Folk.
● Du Bois served as the editor of The Crisis magazine for twenty-four years
and lectured throughout the world well into later life.
Source: W.E.B. Dubois National Historic Site

8. ● His vision was of a world without human exploitation and with equality for all.
● He understood that the struggle for the equality of Black Americans was part
of a larger struggle for freedom and equality for all people.
● Du Bois’ prominence and ideas were threatening to some, and in the 1950s he
was falsely accused of being an agent of a foreign power and later exonerated
of all charges.
● After his death, the Du Bois Memorial Foundation was established and took
ownership of his homestead in Great Barrington. This caused local hostility
due to Du Bois’ controversial affiliation with communism. The Berkshire
Courier even suggested the site be vandalized.
Source: W.E.B. DuBois National Historic Site

9. ● In 1976, a decade after Du Bois' death, the site
was designated as a National Historic
Landmark.
● In 1987 the Du Bois Foundation turned the
property over to the state, with the University
of Massachusetts, Amherst as its steward. The
university conducted a series of archaeological
excavations on the property and paid for
construction of a parking area and the
installation of interpretive signs.
● The W.E.B. Du Bois Center at UMass supports
ongoing scholarship emanating from the life and
teachings of Du Bois.
Source: W.E.B. DuBois National Historic Site

10. Harriet Tubman
American abolitionist and political activist, “conductor" of the Underground Railroad

11. The Underground Railroad & The Fitch-Hoose House
● Harriet Tubman does not have a direct
relation to the Berkshires, but she was a
major player in the Underground Railroad.
● The Underground Railroad went through
Berkshire County, and there was a stop
known as “The Fitch-Hoose House” in
Dalton.
● This is one of the last remaining homes in
Dalton belonging to a former slave. This
area of Dalton once contained a community
of African Americans.
Source: www.preservationmass.org/single-post/2018/08/08/a-dedication-the-fitch-hoose-house

12. ● Harriet Tubman was born in the early 1820’s to enslaved parents in
Maryland. As with many enslaved people in the United States, the exact
year and place of Tubman's birth is not known.
● In 1849, Tubman escaped to the north, but returned to the south soon after
to rescue her family using what became known as the Underground
Railroad.
● Tubman returned to the South several times and helped dozens of people
escape. Her success led slaveowners to post a $40,000 reward for her
capture or death.
● Tubman was never caught and never lost a “passenger.” It’s believed
Harriet personally led at least 70 enslaved people to freedom.
Source: womenshistory.org, history.com

13. ● During the Civil War, Tubman worked for the Union Army as a scout and
spy, using her knowledge of the transportation routes of the south.
● She was the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war.
● In her later years, Tubman toured parts of the northeast speaking on behalf
of the women’s suffrage movement and worked closely with suffrage
leaders.
● In 1896 she opened the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent
Colored People.
● Next weekend, one of our weekend activities will be watching the movie
“Harriet”, which is a biographical film about Harriet Tubman’s life.
Source: womenshistory.org, history.com, “Black Berkshires: A hidden and not-so-hidden legacy” by Andrew D. Blechman, The
Berkshire Edge

15. CIP’s Diversity & Inclusion Council
● Thank you to Alex James for the development of this presentation
The mission of CIP’s Diversity and Inclusion Council
is to create a positive impact and opportunities to
further diversity, equity, and inclusion through
awareness, education, and empowerment. Our vision is
to foster a diverse and inclusive CIP learning
environment where differences are recognized, valued,
and respected.
www.cipworldwide.org