Defending Dignity: Black Women, Family, and Crafting Testimonies in Colonial Mexico

Since the 1500s, free Black women navigated life while confronting the landscape of slavery in Mexico. Demonstrating their prowess as business owners, matriarchs, and patrons, the histories of Black women in the 17th century underscore the complexity of a gendered history of freedom. The talk will highlight what mattered to them most when they engaged with a state apparatus: the dignity of their families, the paths to economic solvency, and the realities of living in a world where slavery economically enriched or doomed others.