Abigail was killed by Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and Sarah Livingston Jay in 1783, for trying to be free. Due to the immense gloss provided to her murderers, her story has always been suppressed.

But times have changed, at least a little bit. Abigail’s story was set forth in the New York Times yesterday, written by Martha S. Jones, from Paris. Jones took the time to follow up on the old story, to help us understand the lives of the enslaved and the enslavers.

Franklin and Jay were in France to obtain support and money for their own American Revolutionary War. When John Jay left for England to settle an inheritance in October, 1783, Abigail took the opportunity to run away, to the home of an English washerwoman who promised to pay her for her work, “taking only her clothes.” The Abigail letters can be found in Richard B. Morris’ “John Jay: The Winning of the Peace, Unpublished Papers 1780-1784” (1980). Morris had the integrity to include these letters, long before diversity was a common concept.

Franklin could have remained uninvolved; instead he sought to impress the lovely Sarah by putting her runaway maid in jail. Sarah could have requested Abigail’s freedom, as many white women did at one time or another, but instead took Franklin’s advice to leave her in jail. John Jay could have taken a different path, but instead acted just like a slaveowner and advised Sarah to take Franklin’s advice.

Abigail became very ill in jail, spent time at the infirmary, and finally asked to “come home.” She died of her illness a week later. The servants felt haunted, but Sarah simply laughed at them. John promised to find her another maid.

As Frederick Douglass has noted, slavery inevitably ruins the character of the enslaver. The Abigail letters are a strong example of this ruination.

The lustrous Black Pearl of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade once again attracts attention, as vain attempts to excuse its use surface in the news.

The Oxford English Dictionary gives the following usage in 1587: “There were also in her 400 nee*ers, whome they had taken to make slaves.” English spellings include ne*er, ni*er, and ni*re. Spanish also features one “g,” in ne*ro.

By 1786, the OED gives this usage: “How graceless Ham laugh at his Dad, Which made Canaan a ni**er.” Between 1587 and 1786, the TAST developed across the Americas, including English, Spanish, and Dutch slave traders. The Dutch spelling was commonly printed in English as “ni**ar.”

John McWhorter bemoans the fact that The Infamous Noun is not accepted in social discourse, not even as a quote from an old book, without the possibility of giving great offense and attracting criticism. New York Times, April 30, 2021. A law student was criticized for reading it aloud from a 1933 legal ruling. The Infamous Noun carries its history of kidnapping, violence, rape, torture, and resistance at all times. It is not “cool.” It does not make you look “hard.” It may damage your social relationships, or cost you your job.

The Infamous Noun will expose your ignorance, your prejudice, your weakness, and your insecurity. It is best left alone.

My brother and I took DNA tests in 2014, and my genealogy expert explained that the name “John W. Arick” on my profile almost certainly meant that the man I thought was my grandfather, was not. Indeed, my grandmother Frances had gotten pregnant outside her marriage, for reasons that went to her grave with her.

I found my Auntie M on the internet, and sent her an introductory e-mail. She strenuously denied that her father could be my grandfather, and said she would get back to me to prove the DNA test was wrong. I haven’t heard from her since. I later found out John may have had some indication from Frances that her son was his, because a book about our family included Auntie M. and her grandfather, but omitted John’s name.

I also found two new cousins, one of whom was looking for his father, Uncle T (on my father’s side). When he finally reached his bio-dad, Uncle T. completely denied his fatherhood, despite DNA evidence. I suspect this was also a rehearsed denial, because it was so immediate, so fierce, and so final.

I understand that people in their late 70s or late 60s may not welcome such news. They have arranged their lives in a certain way and they just want to continue to believe in their illusions. So don’t be surprised if it happens to you.

My new book, Born as Prey, will be published via Kindle Select and will go live on June 30, 2018.

Due to ignorance, naivete and stubborn pride, my parents produced me into a violent, child molesting, child pimping family. I did not escape being attacked, and split off at the age of three. I am now in my third year of recovery. It has been very difficult but I hope the future will be better.

I have published on Kindle Select so that most people, especially seniors, will be able to read it. I hope it will help others deal with similar problems.

Russell McLendon at Mother Nature Network has finally, sort of admitted that “ok” came from the Mandingo language, spelled o-ke. McLendon tried to cover all bases by claiming a 175-year history for [white] “ok,” and including “och aye” (Scottish), “oikea” (Finnish) and “ola kala” (Greek).

Can we all just get along, o-ke?