This year marks 200 years since Lucy and Lois Tritton, a mother and daughter, were the last enslaved people to be sold at auction on the New Haven Green. Their story has ties to both Trinity on the Green and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. It is an important reminder of New England’s complicity in the institution of slavery, and invitation for us to examine the ongoing legacy of slavery and racism in our communities.
This Sunday, March 9, at 5 p.m., St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and Trinity on the Green are jointly offering a special service to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the last slave auction on the New Haven Green. The service will include excerpts of Lucy and Lois’ story, interspersed with music from the Salt & Pepper Gospel Singers, scripture, prayer, and a reflection by the Rev. Dr. Leon Bailey. Join us for this important opportunity to lament, learn, and pray together—as we move towards the healing from the legacies of slavery.
In addition, on Saturday, March 8, at 10 a.m., there will be a walking tour of Blake Street Cemetery organized by the New Haven Bioregional Group. The tour will start on Jewell Street, from which participants will walk over to Blake Street and enter the Westville Cemetery’s Blake Street entrance. This walking tour will visit the grave of Lois Tritton who was laid to rest in Blake Street Cemetery in 1894 at the age of 95. Family historian and genealogist Sherill Baldwin will share her extensive research on the Tritton family as well as on Blake Street Cemetery itself.