Black History Now Lecture: The Long Journey to Freedom: Lord Dunmore’s Ethiopian Regiment

Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center

Speaker: Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Professor at Norfolk State University and founder of the Joseph Jenkins Roberts Center

• Dr. Newby-Alexander’s lecture will examine the history of Lord Dunmore’s Ethiopian Regiment. In November 1775, Lord Dunmore issued a proclamation promising freedom to enslaved Blacks that joined the British military to suppress the Revolution. Wearing uniforms emblazoned with the words “Liberty to Slaves,” approximately 300 men answered his call. This lecture will examine their motivations, wartime experiences, and the complications that arose surrounding their status as free men after the war.