Conversations In Indiana African American History & Culture 5/15/2025

Slavery Can Have No Existence in the State of Indiana:” Black Women, Slavery, and Unfreedom in Indiana, 1787-1830

Join us for our monthly conversation with historians, researchers, and educators as we discuss topics related to Indiana’s Black heritage.

Our speaker will be Dr. Jazma Sutton, Assistant Professor of History, Miami of Ohio.

At the center of this discussion is State v. Lasselle, the 1820 case in which Polly Strong, an enslaved woman, sued for her freedom and ultimately won a landmark Supreme Court ruling that slavery had no legal standing in Indiana under the 1816 Constitution. However, this legal victory did not end Black Hoosiers’ struggles for freedom, as courts and local authorities continued to permit slavery and unfreedom through legal loopholes and deference to white men’s claims over Black women’s labor.

• In Person: Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Indiana Landmarks Center and talk begins at 6:00 p.m.

• Online: Livestream will begin at 6:00 p.m.

A Zoom link will be sent 2 hours prior to the event. Check spam folder if not received.

Host or Publisher Freetown Village