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Martha Ann Fields
Freedom Seeker. Mother. Education Advocate.
Her Story
Martha Ann Fields was born enslaved in Hanover County, Virginia. A woman of deep faith and extraordinary courage, she made the life-changing decision to emancipate herself and her children when the Union Army came through Hanover County during the Civil War.
After years of enslavement, abuse, and separation at the hands of those who claimed ownership over her body and her family, Martha Ann held tightly to a promise. According to her son, she believed God had promised her that she and her children would one day be free. When the opportunity came, she seized it. She took her freedom and the freedom of the children who remained with her.
Martha Ann was the mother of eleven children, though one child died shortly after birth. Some of her children were sold away from her, including three who were sold from Clover Plain Hills, the plantation where the family had been enslaved. Her husband, was enslaved on another plantation.
Though Martha Ann could not read herself, she understood the power of education. Even while enslaved, she encouraged her children to listen, learn, and pay attention to what was happening around them. Many of her children learned to read, and two of her sons later credited their mother’s instruction and encouragement as part of the foundation that allowed them to become attorneys.
After seeking freedom, Martha Ann made her way to Hampton during the war. There, she began laundering clothes for white Union soldiers and built a business that allowed her to provide for her children. By the end of the war, all of her children were free, and her family was reunited, including her husband.
Martha Ann continued to position her children for opportunity. Her son James Apostle Fields became one of the first students at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute and graduated with its first class. Her youngest son, George Washington Fields, also attended Hampton, as did several of her other children and grandchildren.
Martha Ann Fields was more than a freedom seeker. She was a mother who built a foundation her children and grandchildren could stand on. Through faith, courage, labor, and an unwavering belief in education, she helped transform the future of her family for generations.
The Brick She Built
Martha Ann Fields built many bricks: the brick of faith, the brick of determination, and the brick of education.
No matter what her circumstances looked like, she held tightly to what she believed God had promised her. She believed freedom would come, and when the moment arrived, she was willing to move. She was willing to cross the river. She was willing to lead her children toward a reality that once seemed impossible.
Her story also reminds us that education can become a pathway to freedom, dignity, and legacy. Martha Ann’s children became property owners, attorneys, government officials, business owners, and leaders because of the foundation she fought to build. Even when she could not fully protect them from the brutality of enslavement, she still directed them, encouraged them, and pushed them toward a future beyond bondage.
The brick Martha Ann built was not only for herself. It was for her children, her children’s children, and every generation that would come after her.
From Archive to Stage
Martha Ann Fields’s story resonated with me from the first time I heard it from her great-great-granddaughter, Regina Rogers. As a mother, I was deeply moved by the steps Martha Ann took to secure freedom for herself and her children. Her courage, faith, and determination continue to inspire me.
In bringing Martha Ann to the stage, I wanted to honor as many elements of her story as possible. The monologue offers a glimpse of what she endured in enslavement, not to glorify her suffering, but to help audiences understand the weight of what she had to overcome.
The heart of the monologue is the moment Martha Ann decides to leave. It is the moment she chooses to seize freedom. I wanted the audience to walk with her, step by step, as she faced the obstacles before her.
We all have moments when we must cross something: a river, a barrier, a fear, or a circumstance that feels impossible. Martha Ann Fields reminds us that faith requires movement. As Scripture teaches, faith without works is dead. She had to move in order to access the freedom she believed was promised.
Her story has inspired me profoundly, and it is an honor to carry this part of her legacy through performance.