Book Talk on the Connecticut Freedom Trail: A Free Woman on God’s Earth
January 28, 2025 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
For 2025’s first Conversation at Noon on the Connecticut Freedom Trail, author and educator Jana Laiz, M.Ed. will discuss the life and times of Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman and her co-authored children’s biography, “A Free Woman On God’s Earth” The True Story of Elizabeth Mumbet Freeman, acknowledged by the Trustees of Reservations as the most historically accurate telling of this story.
The story of “Mumbet” lay hidden for years until its rediscovery in the late 1990s by Laiz’s co-author, Ann-Elizabeth Barnes, an historic site interpreter at the Ashley House. Jana will discuss how the discovery happened, how the two got together to write the book and the fascinating journey that would follow. Though two white women, these writers understood the importance of Black narratives, a crucial part of the American story and critically important to the true history of this nation.
Laiz and Barnes told the story with all the respect, research and love they had. Jana would later come to meet historian Tammy Denease, Outreach Director for the Connecticut Freedom Trail, and recognizing the historical significance of this true herstory embarked on a journey to share the story of Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman with the world.
This online event is FREE and open to the public.
