The 1810 census lists "Margt" (Margaret) living in the rear apartment of #22 (now 130 Elfreth's Alley) and working as a washer. She lived with two other free Black people, and apart from one other, they were the only Black residents of the Alley at that time.
Further Reading: JSTOR's "Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus" and more
In the wake of more murders of Black Americans by police over the last few weeks and the ongoing plague of murders of Black trans women, many white Americans are turning to reading lists to make sense of the present moment and perhaps unpack some of the racism within themselves.
JSTOR, one of the largest sites for accessing academic journals digitally, released its own reading list --”Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus”-- providing free synopses of some really important scholarship. At the same time, JSTOR increased the number of articles you can read after creating a free account. I wanted to highlight what I think are a few great picks from the “Syllabus” JSTOR put together as well as a few pieces on the history of Philadelphia that are relevant to our present:
From Our Volunteers: Louisa Charlotte Burr, 1788-1881
Over on Hidden City today you can read the latest scholarship of Keshler Thibert, an excellent tour guide who has been an enthusiastic volunteer with us over the last year.
Thibert writes about Louisa Charlotte Burr, a biracial daughter of Aaron Burr, who made Philadelphia her home for much of her life. Burr’s life, in Thibert’s telling, offers a window into domestic work but also activism and radical abolitionism. Thibert’s essay also touches on the flourishing work of local and family historians, whose work often goes unacknowledged. Read the full piece here:
https://hiddencityphila.org/2020/06/discovering-louisa-charlotte-burr-abolitionist-mother-unsung-hero/