The Ipswich Human Rights Commission and Town of Ipswich are happy to announce the First Annual Love Your Neighbors 5K Walk/Run! The Love Your Neighbors 5K is an event meant to bring the Ipswich community and others together in the spirit of unity, and to advance social awareness. Each year, the Love Your Neighbors 5K will highlight & emphasize an event, group, or person who represents the spirit of equity, inclusion, and diversity.
This year’s Love Your Neighbors 5K is dedicated to the memory and courage of Jenny Slew and her never ending conviction toward her rightful freedom.
In May 2023, Ipswich dedicated a plot of land honoring the memory of Jenny Slew. This riverfront location at 54 County Street, is now known as “Jenny Slew Park.” Jenny Slew was raised and lived as a free citizen. She was the daughter of a free white mother, and an enslaved man. In 1762, as an adult who lived as a free citizen, she was kidnapped and forced into slave status. Never giving up, Ms. Slew sued for and won her permanent status as a free citizen. She was the first enslaved African American to win her freedom through the courts. Click here to learn more about Jenny Slew’s Story!
Walk/Run Start Time: 11:00AM (Event day registration will open at 9:45AM)