Image – Painting of enslaved people waiting for sale by Eyre Crowe, an English painter who arrived in Richmond in March 1853 and witnessed several auctions of enslaved people.
The Jay family’s legacy of abolition work is epitomized by John Jay II’s defending eight enslaved women and children in 1852. Now known as the Lemmon Slave Case, the court ruled that the eight were free upon arriving on New York’s free soil, and the case became a battle cry for secession when appeals defied the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford. Join us on October 29 from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm for a program that dives into the case, the dramatic events and characters, and its impact on the State and nation — with a special guest appearance from a descendant of two of the formerly enslaved.
ITINERARY
3:00 – 4:00 PM — JAY HERITAGE CENTER SITE TOUR
4:00 – 5:00 PM — PROGRAM
5:00 – 6:00 PM — RECEPTION
FEATURING A CONVERSATION WITH
Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt, Retired Associate Judge, New York Court of Appeals; Author, The Eight: The Lemmon Slave Case and the Fight for Freedom and President Emeritus & Inaugural Albert M. Rosenblatt Legal History Scholar, Historical Society of the New York Courts
MODERATED BY
Hon. Philippe Solages, Jr., Acting Supreme Court Justice, Court of Claims Judge, Nassau County Criminal Court
WITH SPECIAL GUEST
Luanne Wills-Merrell, Descendant of two of the eight enslaved people
Location: Jay Heritage Center — 210 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY 10580
Presented by the Historical Society of the New York Courts and the Jay Heritage Center.
The Historical Society of the New York Courts was founded in 2002 by then New York State Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye. Its mission is to preserve, protect and promote the legal history of New York, including the proud heritage of its courts and the development of the Rule of Law. The Society promotes its mission through educational outreach to New York State students, and public programs and publications on these themes which inform our knowledge and role as citizens today.
Co-Sponsored by the Westchester Bar Association and the Westchester Black Bar Association
NY CLE Credits Currently Pending by the Judicial Institute
Available only to current members of the Historical Society of the New York Courts, Jay Heritage Center, Westchester Bar Association and the Westchester Black Bar Association