Lucretia Gets Her Corner

by PAUL BASS

The name of New Haven’s first Black resident appeared Monday above a Downtown intersection, where it will remain. The resident was named Lucretia.

A crowd of officials and community members gathered Monday morning during the final days of Black History Month to officially dub the intersection, at Orange and Elm Streets, Lucretia’s Corner.

We don’t know Lucretia’s last name. We don’t know where in Africa Lucretia was born. We don’t know where she’s buried. We do know Lucretia was the first known recorded slave in New Haven Colony. She was married to a fellow enslaved person named John Cram. She worked as a slave for then-Gov. Theophilus Eaton shortly after the establishment of New Haven Colony in 1638, on an estate that was located where her name now flies above the street.

The naming was the result of a 25-yearlong effort launched by Ann Garrett Robinson, a writer and psychology professor with a long history of civic involvement. She discovered historical references to Lucretia in 1998 in a document she found at the old Afro-American Historical Society archives at the Q House. This past year she teamed up with then-Alder Steven Winter and others to gather 250 signatures on a petition to name the corner, then win approval for the naming from the Board of Alders.

Lucretia advocated for the health of the elderly, Robinson said; at some point Ea- ton freed her. At the naming ceremony, Mayor Justin Elicker and Downtown/ East Rock Alder Eli Sabin emphasized the importance of remembering the city’s history, including the fact that slavery existed here, as well as recognizing the social justice work left to be done.

The crowd included members of local churches and others who have helped Robinson in her campaign. Those helpers included Trina Greene (pictured), who belted out a rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” as part of the ceremony. She ended with a riff on the chorus: “It’s been a long time coming / But a change has come …”

New Haven Academy teacher Kelly Hope (pictured above) brought her 11th and 12th grade African American Literature class. “This is a real-life opportunity for my students to make connections between what we’re learning about in class and the experiences of AfricanAmericans in New Haven,” Hope said. “I wanted them to come and experience this story.”