"The Extraordinary Story and Discovery of Yarrow Mamout: From African Slave to Georgetown Property Owner"

Seminar for Students, Teachers and the Public

Saturday, September 26, 2015 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM EDT
Off-Campus Location, Georgetown University, Intercultural Center Auditorium

yRare accounts of freedmen and women and enslaved Africans in early American history have emerged in recent years. This past summer an archaeological dig in Georgetown explored the site of the home of Yarrow Mamout, an African Muslim and former slave. Literate in Arabic, Mamout was enslaved in 1752, worked for his manumission, owned property, and lived until 1823. His portrait was painted not once but twice, and his obituary, written by portraitist Charles Wilson Peale, appeared in the newspaper. This unique seminar will explore the process of discovery of Yarrow Mamout's story uncovered by researchers, and discuss its significance for American and African history, as well as the history of the District of Columbia. Speakers include James Johnston, author of a biography on Yarrow Mamout, Dr. Ruth Trocolli, the archaeologist leading the dig in Georgetown, Maurice Jackson, Associate Professor of History and African-American Studies at Georgetown University, and Muhammad Rahim, Ph.D. Candidate at Howard University.

This seminar is free and open to the public, however teachers are encouraged to register here in order to receive a set of classroom resources and a free copy of Johnston's book, From Slave Ship to Harvard: Yarrow Mamout and the History of an African American Family. Any questions regarding this event should be addressed to Susan Douglass at sld58@georgetown.edu.

Seminar Schedule

Note: The schedule has been revised to start at a later time than previously announced, and the changes are reflected below.

10:30-11:00       Registration & Coffee in the ICC Galleria

11:00                  Welcome and Introduction to Resources, Susan Douglass (CCAS, Georgetown University)

11:05-11:45       "Yarrow Mamout’s Life and Significance", James H. Johnston (Author, From Slave Ship to Harvard)

11:45-12:30       "Past Lives in the City: The Yarrow Mamout Archaeology Project", Dr. Ruth Trocolli (City Archaeologist, Historic Preservation Office of the District of Columbia)

12:30-2:15          Lunch and visit to 3324 Dent Place, archaeological site of Yarrow Mamout’s home

2:15-3:00            "Yarrow Mamout: American, Enslaved African Muslim and Spiritual Wayfarer", Muhammad Fraser Rahim (Ph.D. Candidate, Howard University)

3:00-3:45            "What the Lives of Enslaved and Free Africans in the Late-18th and Early-19th Centuries Tell Us About Washington, D.C.", Maurice Jackson (Associate Professor of History and African-American Studies, Georgetown University)

4:00                     Evaluation and Adjournment

Sponsored by Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, African Studies Program, and Department of History, Howard University's School of Education and Center for African Studies, and George Mason University's Center for Global Islamic Studies.

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