Historical Fiction Audio Drama

How Emeline Got Free is an audio drama that tells the story of the landmark Lemmon Slave Case from the perspective of Emeline Thompson, the eldest of the eight enslaved women and children whose freedom was at stake at this 1852 trial.

Presented by the Historical Society of the New York Courts

Written by Mustapha Khan and Trey Ellis

Produced and Directed by Mustapha Khan

Starring Sheila Morris as Emeline

Featuring Kenny Vaughan, Ricardo Khan, Rachel Smith Angela Lockett, Michael O'Keeffe, Dan Sutton, Michael Henry, Charles Carr, Norman Burns, Francois Giroday, and the Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt.

Sound Design, Sound Mix and Score by Ryan Dann

Executive Producers: Allison M. Morey and Daniel O. Sierra

Inspired by the book The Eight: The Lemmon Slave Case and the Fight for Freedom by the Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt

Featured Music: "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" Written by Billy Taylor/Duane Music Performed by Nina Simone Courtesy of Sony Music and 1630 Music Publishing Services, Inc.

This audiostory podcast was made possible with funding from the Sullivan & Cromwell Foundation.

About the photo: There are no known photos of Emeline, and the identity of this young woman is also unknown. This photo is contemporaneous with the date of the Lemmon Slave Case. Portrait of Seated Young Woman in Plaid Dress with Hands Clasped, c. 1860, New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Ambrotype Collection.