Philadelphia To Observe ‘Ona Judge Day’ May 21

Ona Judge was formerly enslaved by George and Martha Washington.

The Philadelphia City Council has officially designated May 21 as “Ona Judge Day,” a historic resolution aimed at honoring one of the most significant figures of resistance to slavery in the city’s history.

The resolution was introduced to commemorate the life and daring escape of Ona Judge, a formerly enslaved woman. Philadelphia City Council members understood the importance of recognizing her life as the resolution was introduced and passed, unanimously on the same day, The Philadelphia Tribune reported.

“It’s an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of a woman in that time period — the courage and the fact that people took agency over their own lives,” said Avenging the Ancestors Coalition member Rosalyn McPherson. “These weren’t just menial servants here. These were people who had goals and aspirations.”

There is no such thing as a good slave owner.

Council designates May 21 as Ona Judge Day honoring resistance to slavery https://t.co/vneZ34hrXP via @phillytrib
— FridayJones (@IAMFridayJones) April 30, 2026

The resolution encourages local schools and cultural institutions to utilize May 21 as a day of learning.

Key themes of the designation include:

Historical Accuracy: Highlighting the reality of the “President’s House” and the presence of enslaved people within the halls of early American power.
The Power of Agency: Celebrating Judge’s strategic planning and her refusal to return to bondage, even when offered “freedom” upon Martha Washington’s eventual death.
Legacy of Resilience: Connecting Judge’s narrative to the broader history of the Underground Railroad and Black resistance in the North.

On May 21, 1796, while the Washingtons were eating dinner at the President’s House in Philadelphia, Judge walked out of the mansion and boarded a ship to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She successfully liberated herself despite the Washingtons’ lifelong efforts to recapture her. McPherson, spoke to the outlet about the importance of honoring Judge.

The designation of Ona Judge Day serves as a formal recognition of the systemic injustices inherent in the nation’s founding and the individual bravery required to confront them. Judge’s story is particularly poignant in Philadelphia, as she exploited the state’s “Gradual Abolition Act” of 1780. The act dictated that enslaved people brought into Pennsylvania by non-residents for more than six months were eligible for freedom. To circumvent this, Washington famously rotated his enslaved staff out of the state every six months. A practice Judge eventually escaped.