In episode 013 of Her Voice Echoes we continue to hear about the life of Harriet Jacobs, a woman born in 1813 in Edenton, NC. Harriet was enslaved for 27 years, eventually escaping to the North, where in 1861 she published a book called, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.”

Episode 013 includes chapters 30-35 of the book. Harriet is finally free from her miserable prison of the last seven years. She heads to the North, first stopping in Philadelphia and then heading on to New York, where she is reunited with Ellen and Benny. But, all is not well. She must contend with the constant threat of "recapture" by the Flints, Ellen is in a dire situation (Mr. Sanders has not fulfilled his promise to educate her), and she is confronted with the racism and segregation of the North. Throughout, though, Harriet's militant spirit is ever present.

The book was written to appeal to the white women of the North. It combines the genres of slave narrative and sentimental novel and focuses on the themes of family, motherhood, chastity and sexual oppression. It was considered bold and indelicate at the time it was written. Harriet doesn't dance around the topic of white men abusing black women. It was initially published as a serialized novel in a newspaper and then published as a book in 1861 under the pseudonym Linda Brent.

Here are the names of the fictionalized characters and their real counterparts:

Linda Brett: Harriet JacobsWilliam Brett: John JacobsHarriet's father: Elijah KnoxHarriet's mother: Delilah HorniblowAunt Martha: Molly HorniblowBenny Sands: Joseph SawyerEllen Sands: Louisa SawyerRuth Nash: Margaret HorniblowDr. Flint: Dr. James NorcomMrs. Flint: Mary Curtis NorcomEmily Flint: Mary Matilda NorcomMr. Sands: Samuel Tredwell Sawyer

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The image that accompanies this podcast is of the African Episcopal Church of Philadelphia, established in 1792.