Shirley Yee, Author at • Page 3 of 3

Academic Historian

Shirley J. Yee is Associate Professor of Women Studies at the University of Washington. Yee earned her Ph.D. at Ohio State University in 1987 and is the author of Black Women Abolitionists: A Study in Activism, 1828-1860 (University of Tennessee Press, 1992) and “Black Women as Community Builders,” Canadian Historical Review.

Eliza Ann Dixon Day (?-1800’s)

A member of the John Street Methodist Church and founding member of the A.M.E. Zion Church in New York City, Eliza Day combined religious devotion with abolitionist politics. Day was an active abolitionist who established a pattern of activism for her children. Eliza Day was … Read MoreEliza Ann Dixon Day (?-1800’s)

Harriet Jacobs (1813-1897)

Born into slavery in Edenton, North Carolina on February 11, 1813, Harriet Ann Jacobs was the daughter of slaves, Delilah and Daniel Jacobs. Harriet Jacobs is best known for her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, edited by white abolitionist Lydia Maria Child, … Read MoreHarriet Jacobs (1813-1897)

Anna Murray Douglass (c. 1813-1882)

Anna Murray Douglass is best known as the first wife of black abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Her life illustrates the challenges facing women who were married to famous men. Born as a free black in rural Maryland, her parents, Mary and Bambarra Murray, were manumitted shortly … Read MoreAnna Murray Douglass (c. 1813-1882)

Susan Paul (1809-1841)

The youngest daughter of Baptist minister Rev. Thomas Paul and Catherine Waterhouse Paul, Susan Paul was a primary school teacher and an active member of the bi-racial Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society. The Pauls were a highly regarded family in the free black abolitionist community in … Read MoreSusan Paul (1809-1841)

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911)

A poet and essayist, Frances Ellen Watkins was born free in Baltimore, Maryland on September 24, 1825. Orphaned at the age of three, Watkins went to live with her aunt and uncle, Harriet and William Watkins. Unlike most free blacks, Frances grew up in comfortable … Read MoreFrances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911)

Harriet Ross Tubman (ca. 1821-1913)

Dubbed “The Moses of Her People,” escaped slave Harriet Tubman assisted hundreds of slaves on the Underground Railroad, leading them from Maryland to safety in Pennsylvania. Born enslaved in 1821 and raised in Dorchester County, Maryland to Benjamin and Harriett Greene Ross, she was both … Read MoreHarriet Ross Tubman (ca. 1821-1913)

Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823-1893)

Born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1823, Mary Ann Shadd was a teacher, journalist, and outspoken leader of the Canadian emigration movement during the 1850s. Shadd grew up in an abolitionist household. She was the eldest child of Abraham Doras Shadd, a prosperous shoemaker and veteran … Read MoreMary Ann Shadd Cary (1823-1893)

Henry Highland Garnet (1815-1882)

Born into slavery near New Markey, Maryland on December 23, 1815, Henry Highland Garnet escaped from bondage via the Underground Railroad with his parents, George and Henrietta Trusty in 1824. After residing briefly in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the family settled in New York City, New … Read MoreHenry Highland Garnet (1815-1882)

Charlotte Forten Grimké (1837-1914)

Charlotte Forten Grimké grew up in a rich intellectual and activist environment. Born into a wealthy Black abolitionist family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Charlotte Louise Forten became famous in her own right as a writer and poet. Her grandparents, James, Sr. and Charlotte Forten, hosted leading … Read MoreCharlotte Forten Grimké (1837-1914)