The Harriet Jacobs Project Resurrects the Story of a Young Black Woman Who Escaped Slavery and Became an Icon of North Carolina

Resting in the windowsills of the Chowan County Courthouse in Edenton, North Carolina, are the silhouettes of women appearing behind sheer floral curtains; their profiles overlook the large, closed doors of the two-story courthouse. Two Black women, Michelle Lanier and Johnica Rivers, approach the building with their hands clasped together as a larger group of 70 Black women trail behind them. Together, they walk the long, verdant lawn that extends from the shores of Little Creek to the courthou