Sally Maria Diggs (1851 – October 27, 1928) was an enslaved African-American girl, also known as "Pinky", whose freedom was famously bought by

Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the Abolitionism, abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery ...

in 1860, during a sermon at Plymouth Church,

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, NYC. Beecher famously said, "No child should be in slavery, let alone a child like this" and raised $900 to purchase her freedom. A parishioner named Rose Terry donated a ring toward Diggs' freedom. Upon her emancipation, Diggs was renamed Rose Ward, after Rose Terry and Henry Ward Beecher. The episode was celebrated in a number of paintings and drawings at the time, including

Eastman Johnson Jonathan Eastman Johnson (July 29, 1824 – April 5, 1906) was an American painter and co-founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, with his name inscribed at its entrance. He was best known for his genre paintings, paintings of ...

's "Freedom Ring." Diggs later attended Howard University and married a lawyer named James Hunt, at which point she became Rose Ward Hunt. In 1927, Diggs returned to Plymouth Church to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Henry Ward Beecher's first sermon at Plymouth Church. In 2010, sculptor Meredith Bergmann crafted a bust of Diggs. It was made in the style of the busts that flank the original entrance of the Center for Brooklyn History (then the Brooklyn Historical Society). The bust remains in CBH's collections.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diggs, Sally Maria 1850s births Year of birth uncertain 1928 deaths 19th-century American slaves 19th-century American women People from Brooklyn People from Charles County, Maryland People enslaved in Maryland American women slaves Howard University alumni