I have let books alone and studied men and women a good deal. — Mary (image via Mary Ellen Pleasant) No one knows exactly when and where Mary Ellen Pleasant was born -- some accounts say she was born a slave on a plantation in Augusta, Georgia; others report she was born to a free family in Philadelphia. Either way, because of her biracial heritage, Mary grew up for much of her life frequently passing as white -- which was critical for her survival during her lifelong work for abolitionist causes. She harbored runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad and assisted anti-slavery activists.
A Woman to Know: Mary Ellen Pleasant
A Woman to Know: Mary Ellen Pleasant
A Woman to Know: Mary Ellen Pleasant
I have let books alone and studied men and women a good deal. — Mary (image via Mary Ellen Pleasant) No one knows exactly when and where Mary Ellen Pleasant was born -- some accounts say she was born a slave on a plantation in Augusta, Georgia; others report she was born to a free family in Philadelphia. Either way, because of her biracial heritage, Mary grew up for much of her life frequently passing as white -- which was critical for her survival during her lifelong work for abolitionist causes. She harbored runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad and assisted anti-slavery activists.