Dr. Linda J. Caldwell Epps will discuss Ona Judge and Harriet Tubman's experiences.

Born in 1773 in the household of George and Martha Washington, the child of an enslaved mother of African descent and a European-American father, Oney (Ona) Judge’s story is one that contrasts the pursuit of freedom from English rule by American Patriots and the pursuit of freedom from slavery by people held in bondage by those same Patriots. 

The well known Harriet Tubman was an escaped enslaved woman. Despite the bounty she held over her head she became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, leading enslaved people to freedom before the Civil War.

Dr. Linda J. Caldwell Epps is President and CEO of 1804 Consultants and a founding member of the Sankofa Collaborative.  She brings to clients more than 45 years of experience working with educational and cultural institutions, including The New Jersey Historical Society, a statewide museum, library, and educational facility, where she served as President and CEO, and New Jersey Network Television and Radio where she served as Vice President for Institutional Relations.  She held various positions at Bloomfield College where she worked for 27 years.  In her role as Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, she helped create an award winning campus-wide student assessment project to help assure student and faculty success. As Vice President for College Relations, she helped lead the institution to successful completion of its first capital campaign which raised  $8.4 million. She served as a Ford Foundation-funded consultant to several institutions of higher learning—including Keene College in New Hampshire, Union College in Ohio and the College of St. Elizabeth in New Jersey—on issues of diversity and equity in higher education. 

The recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Caldwell Epps was inducted into the Douglass Society, the highest honor accorded to Douglass College graduates.  In 2019 she was inducted into the Rutgers African American Hall of Fame.  She also received the highest award accorded to Seton Hall University students — the Most Distinguished Alumnae Award. She is the 2019 recipient of the Beulah Oliphant award presented annually to women in recognition of their outstanding contributions to New Jersey history in historic preservation, education, or scholarship.  Her commitment to her community has been recognized by numerous philanthropic and civic organizations.