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Niagara Falls
Friday, March 29, 2024
Exploring Photos with the NOTL Museum: Sally Carter and the Moseby affair of 1837

Many local history enthusiasts are familiar with the Moseby affair of 1837. However, few may know the story of Sally Carter. She helped to organize 200 to 300 supporters from Niagara’s Black community to hold a vigil outside the Niagara Jail, featured above, to guard against any attempt by the authorities to return escaped slave Solomon Moseby to the U.S. Sally, along with several Black women, launched a series of tactics to aid his freedom by blocking the road to the courthouse, singing hymns as a diversion, and standing between the protesters and the prison guards to prevent fights. These tactics were instrumental in securing Moseby’s freedom when he was brought out from the jail to a carriage. Sally was an escaped slave who knew all too well what could happen to Moseby if he was returned. Although she was happy to be living in Canada, she was cautious of the threat of being returned to the U.S. Sally and the Black women involved in the Moseby affair boldly put their lives on the line for justice and freedom in 1837. Today, the Black Lives Matter movement is carrying on the torch by continuing the fight for injustices that still exist today for many in the Black community. For more on local Black history, visit the Voices of Freedom Tour website or the NOTL Museum.

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