An Attempt to Make Amends

By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
WINDSOR, Vt. — As part of their Junteenth celebration, the town of Windsor has placed a roadside marker in honor of Dinah.

In attendance at this marker dedication were Vermont Representative Elizabeth Burrows, and Vermont Senators Keyshawn Ram-Hinsdale, Alison Clarkson, Dick McCormack, Joe Benning, and Alice Nitka.

The marker acknowledges the life of an enslaved woman whose history outside of Windsor is uncertain. However, her life in Windsor, as the marker reads, was quite bleak. The placement of the marker was a project done in conjunction with Historic Windsor Inc., Vermont State Historic Preservation Office, and the Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

“This is an event for someone who would have been dumbfounded by it. The role of women in the 18th century was heavily circumscribed and the influence women had was generally behind the scenes. For the woman of the lowest social class, it would have been more so, for a woman of color, it would be even more so. I don’t think she, or anyone else in her milieu, would have ever imagined that such an honor would have been given to her, and that’s all the more reason we should do it,” said Henry Duffy, President of Historic Windsor Inc.

Dinah was reportedly born around 1753. In 1783, Dinah was sold to Stephen Jacobs by Joatham White of Charlestown, New Hampshire. Jacobs, a well-known lawyer, judge, and politician in Windsor, purchased Dinah after the Vermont Constitution prohibited slavery in 1777. Dinah would remain in Jacobs’ servitude until 1800, when her failing eyesight and health caused Jacobs to have her removed from his home.

Afterward, Dinah would fall under the care of the town Overseer of the Poor. The overseer title was held by the town selectboard at the time, who felt as though they shouldn’t be required to pay for Dinah, since she was a slave and therefore held no status as a citizen. The issue was brought to Windsor District Court and was found in Jacobs’ favor. The town would then bring the case to the Vermont Supreme Court where, according to the Vermont Historical Society, Jacobs was a Supreme Court Judge at the time, and recused himself. The court ultimately ruled in Jacobs’ favor, due to the fact that slavery was illegal in Vermont at the time and as a result Jacobs technically did not own Dinah the moment, she crossed the Vermont border. After the town of Windsor tried to expel her multiple times, they eventually paid someone to care for her in her dying days and paid for her burial. The location of Dinah’s grave is unknown, as the marker reads. Jacobs is buried at the Old South Church in Windsor.

Although slavery was outlawed in 1777, there are other examples of slaves being owned by prominent white settlers. A similar marker was erected in Burlington, commemorating Lavinia and Francis Parker. The Parkers were slaves owned by the daughter of Ethan Allen from 1835 to 1841. Allen, too, was a well-regarded politician, war hero, and businessman.

“I was shocked to learn about Dinah. I grew up here. I graduated from Windsor High School. I never once heard about this injustice. Perhaps because it would challenge the idea of Vermont exceptionalism. Here where the constitution to outlaw adult slavery was signed. The town turned a blind eye to its persistence. In a town that still refuses to fully address and respectfully honor this person, Dinah. When we speak the names of victims, we give them the power back. When we refuse to raise up the oppressor even when they have money and accolades. We show morals supersede fame and societal hierarchy. In a way doing so contributes to healing the wounds left by slavery. Acknowledgment and respect go so far, “said Amanda Jordan Smith, member of the Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

This marker, signifying the life of an enslaved black woman, is not specific to Vermont or new to the United States. A number of states across the U.S have placed markers identifying not only the lives of slaves, but slave quarters as well.

Race relations have recently come to a head since 2020, with the emergence of Black Lives Matter protests in Vermont and across the nation. The issue of teaching critical race theory in Vermont has also been sparking debate over the last few years between lawmakers. To combat the issue of racial disparity, Vermont’s Governor Phil Scott appointed Xusana Davis as the Director of the newly founded Office of Racial Equality.