A Free African Woman's Letter to the Queen of Denmark, 1739

In 1739, Moravian missionaries on the Danish Caribbean island of St. Thomas (present-day U.S. Virgin Islands) forwarded this letter from a free African woman. The letter exists in different versions, written in a West African language and Dutch Creole. The original was signed "Damma," while translated versions appear under the names "Magdalena" or "Marrotta." According to historian Jon Sensbach, Damma was likely the woman's African name, with Magdalena serving as her baptismal name. The letter is a significant appeal for the right of non-white individuals to embrace Christianity despite the resistance of white enslavers. When considered alongside a second letter addressed to the king of Denmark, it reveals the harsh mistreatment and fear faced by Black people seeking baptism, as slave-owning elites attempted to suppress their religious aspirations. 

Great Queen!
At the time when I lived in Papaa [Popo], in Africa, I served the Lord Masu. Now I have come into the land of the Whites, and they will not allow me to serve the Lord Jesus. Previously, I did not have any reason to serve Him, but now I do. I am very sad in my heart that the Negro women on St. Thomas are not allowed to serve the Lord Jesus. The Whites do not want to obey Him. Let them do as they wish. But when the poor black Brethren and Sisters want to serve the Lord Jesus, they are looked upon as maroons. If the Queen thinks it fitting, please pray to the Lord Jesus for us and let her intercede with the King to allow Baas Martinus to preach the Lord's word, so that we can come to know the Lord and so that he can baptize us in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Damma