Insensible of Boundaries: Studies in Mary Ann Shadd Cary - A Virtual Talk with Dr. Kristin Moriah

For our 2025 Juneteenth Lecture, join us to learn more about Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823–1893) the trailblazing Black feminist, activist, journalist, and educator whose achievements can be traced across Canada and the United States.

Born in a border state in the antebellum era, Shadd Cary taught in schools in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania before becoming a strong advocate for immigration to Canada in her early adulthood. Once she moved to Ontario in the mid-1850s, she dove headfirst into early Black Canadian debates. She fought to integrate schools in the States and Canada and became, as the editor of the Provincial Freeman, the first Black woman to edit a newspaper in North America.

Despite her achievements and impact on Black life in North America, Shadd Cary is a relatively little-known figure outside of the continent. Insensible of Boundaries is the first collection of essays published on this thinker. Kristin Moriah will talk about what went into creating this pathbreaking volume on this important figure.

Email any questions to programs@14beacon.org.

SPEAKER BIO

Dr. Kristin Moriah is an Associate Professor of African American Literary Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She is the editor of Insensible of Boundaries: Studies in Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first collection of scholarly essays about radical Black feminist editor and activist Mary Ann Shadd Cary. Her work has been supported by fellowships from the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada, the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, and the Harry Ransom Center. Her work has appeared in American Quarterly, TDR, PAJ, Early American Literature, Theatre Research in Canada, Performance Matters, and Sounding Out.