A Look Back at the Little Liberia Community via the Historical African American Press
By Sharon Bunyan
Before I begin, I want to acknowledge the Golden Hill Paugussett Nation’s ancestral land, which is the geographical area where the Little Liberia community was established. This land, rich in history and culture, is the location for the news articles I will discuss.
The Charles Brilvitch article entitled The Mary and Eliza Freeman Houses provides the historical context for the articles written in historically African American newspapers that shed light on the Little Liberia Community, a testament to the resilience and determination of a community of ‘free people of color.’ This community began to coalesce around the lower reaches of Bridgeport Harbor the same year (1821) that Bridgeport itself came into being.