Our Nig: Sketches from the Life of a Free Black

Our Nig: Sketches from the Life of a Free Black is an autobiographical novel first published in 1859 by Harriet E. Wilson. Rediscovered by renowned African-American literary critic Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in 1981, it was republished and redistributed with wider appeal than its initial publication.

The autobiographical novel tells a fictionalized version of Wilson’s life story through the character of Frado, who is also known as “Nig” by other white people. Frado is born to a white woman named Mag Smith and a black man named Jim. When Jim passes away, leaving Mag more impoverished than before, Mag decides to leave young Frado in the care of the Bellmonts, a wealthy white family in town. The Bellmonts decide to put Frado to work. Mrs. Bellmont and her daughter Mary cruelly abuse Frado. They believe her to be beneath them due to her black and mixed-race identity.

In the Bellmont household, Frado endures the violence of Mrs. Bellmont and Mary while also making allies with children Jack, James, and Jane, as well as Mr. Bellmont’s sister, Aunt Abby. James and Aunt Abby in particular become invested in Frado’s spiritual education, believing that religious instruction will help her learn her worth in the world and arm her against their family’s abuse.