History lecture explores writings of African-American
women in 19th century Philadelphia

A lecture scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 13 at UD will focus on the writings and lives of free, African-American women living in the North in the early 19th century. Presented by Erica Armstrong, assistant professor of history at UD, the talk will be titled “A Mental and Moral Feast: Reading, Writing and Sentimentality in Black Philadelphia, 1820-1850,” and it will be held from 12:15-1:45 p.m. in room 203 Munroe Hall, West Delaware Avenue, Newark.

Armstrong, who received her doctorate from Columbia University, is working on a book tentatively titled “Negro Wenches, Washerwomen and Literate Ladies: The Transforming Identities of African American Women in Philadelphia, 1780-1850,” from which her talk is drawn.

According to Armstrong, the lecture will present an exploration of these women and the “ways in which they defined themselves as women, mothers and ladies.” Armstrong said that she will focus on a discussion of the women’s friendship albums---books that included poems, letters and stories---which the women traded back and forth among themselves.

Because the books were traded among women in different cities, she said, they provide a means to examine the thoughts of African-American women throughout the North. They also include the writings of some prominent men of the time, including Frederick Douglass, who were occasionally invited to contribute to the books.

The lecture, which is part of the history department’s series of History Workshops in Technology, Society and Culture, is free and open to the public. Participants may bring bag lunches. For more information, call (302) 831-2371.

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