We, the undersigned, join Philadelphia magazine, The Citizen Media Group, the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition and the Ona Judge Coalition in petitioning the City of Philadelphia to officially designate May 21st as Ona Judge Day, an annual recognition of American truth, courage, and freedom. 

The background:

Ona Judge was enslaved by President George Washington at the President’s House in Philadelphia, a residence that — in staggering hypocrisy — was located mere steps from the Liberty Bell, our country’s symbol of freedom.

In a free city, she lived in bondage. 

Until, at age 22, she didn’t.

On the evening of May 21, 1796, Judge made the daring decision to flee from the most powerful man in the country. While Washington and his wife ate dinner, she silently slipped out the front door and, with the help of the city’s free Black community, fled to New Hampshire. 

Washington was humiliated and outraged. For years, he doggedly hunted Judge, determined to kidnap her back into service. She outwitted him at every turn. She married a free Black sailor, had three children, and lived to an old age, her life defined by dignity, grace, and autonomy.  

Why Philadelphia Must Act Now

Since 2015, Judge’s story — and the stories of the eight other men and women who had been enslaved with her in Philadelphia — have been told at a dignified, outdoor exhibit at the site of the President’s House from which Judge fled. The memorial, championed by the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, is and remains the only exhibit on federal property to honor enslaved people. For 11 years, the exhibits have depicted the lives of Judge and the others with elegant, wrenching simplicity. 

But on January 22, 2026, employees of the National Park Service, which runs the site, began dismantling it on the orders of President Donald Trump, who said sites like the slave memorial promote “corrosive ideology.”

As if truth could ever be corrosive.

The City of Philadelphia has sued for the exhibit’s restoration. The case is now moving through the courts. No matter the outcome, we heartily agree with U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe, who issued an injunction against the exhibit's removal until the case is decided.

She wrote: “An agency — whether the Department of the Interior, NPS or any other agency — cannot arbitrarily decide what is true, based on its own whims or the whims of the new leadership, regardless of the evidence before it.”

Still, restoring a single exhibit is not enough to protect these stories from future erasure. Not by a long shot.

A Call to Honor Truth and Courage

Philadelphia has a responsibility—and an opportunity—to lead. By establishing an annual Ona Judge Day, the city can permanently honor her bravery and reaffirm its commitment to truth. The first observance should take place on May 21, 2026, marking the 230th anniversary of her escape.

In celebrating Ona Judge, we also honor the millions of enslaved men, women, and children whose stories remain untold.

If the Philadelphia of 1796 inspired Judge to claim her freedom, then the Philadelphia of today can ensure her story remains free.

We respectfully call upon Philadelphia City Council and the Mayor to declare May 21 as Ona Judge Day— every year.

Learn more:

•Read "Why Philly Needs an Ona Judge Day" in Philadelphia magazine, by Ronnie Polaneczky

•Watch Ona Judge: A Woman Who Escaped Slavery & the Washingtons

•Hear from actor Alexandra Ford, who portrays Ona Judge in and around Philadelphia's historic sites - click here.