Paul Bass photo
A plaque honoring the newly named Lucretia's Corner.
The following opinion essay was submitted by Nadir Salaam, who is an activist, educator, father and independent historian. He is a native of New Haven currently residing in Bellevue, Washington. He is the producer and host of the Young Adults Learning Evil podcast, which focuses on the history of systemic oppression in New Haven’s Black community. Contact Nadir at y.a.l.epodcast@gmail.com.
On Monday morning, New Haven held a ceremony to commemorate the first female hostage that was kidnapped from Africa and trafficked into the New Haven Colony. This enslaved hostage was called “Lucretia” by her human traffickers.
She was not alone when she arrived, contrary to what is written on the plaque. She was joined by her husband “John Cram” and “Neagar Anthony.” Are not the men who suffered the fate of being kidnapped and held hostage worthy of remembrance? “Neagar Anthony Corner” doesn’t have a good ring to it?
And the justification of singling out “Lucretia” is because she fought for the rights of elderly hostages that had been kidnapped. Elderly slaves held little to no value. The fact that the plaque quotes a historian’s speculation of Theophilus Eaton emancipating “Lucretia” by saying “perhaps”, means that there is a larger chance she died a hostage of the Eaton household.
The omission of the first male residents is also problematic. Why are they devalued? Why isn’t “Neagar Anthony” mentioned? Anne Eaton is mentioned. Anne Eaton is the grandmother of Elihu Yale. Human Trafficking was a family business for these British Aristocrats. She was known to be “terrible and abusive” towards her hostages and falsely accused Anthony of bewitching the Eatons’ beer supply. Or was it because Anthony had multiple public intoxication arrests? Why isn’t her husband “John” also recognized for enduring the hell in the New Haven colony as a Black man? These are difficult topics to discuss but, there is more harm in sugarcoating history. It begs you to ask: What is the motive behind this?
And lastly “Lucretia’s” corner ceremony commemorates almost 400 years of systemic oppression and racism in New Haven’s Black community. Earlier that morning gun violence erupted in the city while children were going to school. Young Black males were arrested and incarcerated for their actions.
The Independent’s article about Monday’s corner renaming ceremony states: “Mayor Justin Elicker and Downtown/East Rock Alder Eli Sabin emphasized the importance of remembering the city’s history, including the fact that slavery existed here, as well as recognizing the social justice work left to be done.” That is an understatement. The violence, poverty and trauma experienced by the Black community in New Haven can draw a direct line back to “Lucretia”, “John” and “Neagar Anthony’s ” experiences as hostages held captive by human traffickers.
False narratives of history make the present conditions seem confusing. We can honor “Lucretia” by being honest about her experience.
We can honor New Haven’s legacy of human trafficking and its abolishment by commemorating the first kidnapped African hostages to arrive with their human traffickers and Lois and Louise Tritton, the last African hostages sold on the New Haven Green. This allows a more honest portrait and discussion about the city’s past, present and future. We can call it the “Sankofa corner” which connects the experiences of our enslaved residents with the pain and destruction of the Atlantic Slave Trade and our present day struggles as a community that still feels the effect from that diabolical institution.
References
Handlin, L. Dissent in a Small Community. (2016, June 2). Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- Anne Yale Eaton abuse: pages 196 – 197
- Beer and abuse of “Neagar Anthony”: page 201
The Yale & Slavery Research Project: Elihu Yale
Negro Slavery in Connecticut, by Frederick Calvin Norton
Sletcher, Michael. New Haven: From Puritanism to the Age of Terrorism.
- Neagar Anthony: page 51