Something Positive: BHM 100: Ona “Oney” Judge – the Enslaved Woman Who Emancipated Herself as George Washington Ate Dinner | A Step in the Right Direction

Something Positive: BHM 100: Ona “Oney” Judge – the Enslaved Woman Who Emancipated Herself as George Washington Ate Dinner | A Step in the Right Direction

Why this story matters: Stories like this show how communities, innovation, and determination can lead to lasting improvements. Quick summary: This story highlights recent developments related to history, showing how constructive action can lead to meaningful results. by Lori Lakin Hutcherson, GBN Editor-in-Chief On Presidents Day , we are honoring someone who was all too familiar with the United States’ first president George Washington — her name was Ona “Oney” Judge . Judge knew there was no time like dinnertime to make her escape. Enslaved by President George Washington and his wife, Martha , in 1796 Judge secretly booked passage on a boat and left the nation’s then capital, Philadelphia, as the Washingtons ate their supper, determined not to return to their plantation in Mount Vernon and remain enslaved. Would you like to read more good news about History , Ona Judge , Philadelphia , Presidents Day , Martha Washington , and Holidays ? Judge hid in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (by then a free state…