The Pearl Escape Project invites the community to a powerful commemoration of resistance and freedom on Tuesday, April 15th, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The event honors the 77 African American men, women and children who bravely sought freedom by sailing from the District’s Seventh Street pier at the Wharf in 1848 aboard the schooner Pearl.
The evening will begin with a program at Westminster Church, located at the corner of Fourth and I Streets SW.
Dr. Clarence Lusane, Professor of Political Science at Howard University and author of Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy, will lead a discussion with Howard University graduate students exploring the contemporary relevance of the Pearl story.
Following the program, attendees will participate in a Second Line procession, led by jazz musicians, retracing the steps of the escapees to the Wharf, where descendants of Pearl engers will call their names. This vibrant and moving tribute will celebrate the courage and determination of those who risked everything for freedom.
Thirteen years before the Civil War, Washington DC was a slave city. The Pearl Escape Project aims to shed light on this often-overlooked aspect of the city’s history and the significant role of free African Americans in the resistance movement. This event will provide a unique opportunity to learn about the historical context of the Pearl escape, the lives of those involved and the enduring legacy of their struggle.
“This event is not just a commemoration, but a call to and reflect on the ongoing fight for racial justice,” said Rev. Brian Hamilton, an organizer of The Pearl Escape Project and Pastor of Westminster Church. “We invite everyone to us in honoring the courage of those who sought freedom and to learn how their story resonates in our own time.”
The event is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome to attend, learn, , sing and march.
