They Did That

The Double-Agent Abolitionist: Mary Ellen Pleasant

Listen on

Episode notes

Mary Ellen Pleasant was a Black conductor of the Underground Railroad, and she was on the run. But in 1852, when her boat arrived on the shores of Gold Rush-era San Francisco, she walked off as someone else. Someone white. Her mission: Expand the Underground Railroad westward—and use her ability to pass to get it done. She’d spend the next decade living a mysterious double life and would go on to be known as “The Black City Hall” of San Francisco. Today, the story of Mary Ellen Pleasant, the double-agent abolitionist who shook up the west coast in the name of liberation.

A Sony Music Entertainment and Somethin' Else production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices