Maroon Folklore as an Abolition Technology

This chapter focuses on the history and folklore around marronage that has shaped and continues to shape Black communities in Montgomery County. From surviving tales of legendary escapes from slavery to continued ways of life, Black freedom still takes place as marronage. This chapter draws attention to important sites of struggle and how policing developed locally through an imperative to inhibit marronage. The chapter also draws connections between the historical practice and the present-day remembrances and manifestations of marronage in Montgomery County. It further explores how the stories that Black community members tell themselves about their history are part of a larger Black folklore tradition around Black flight. The survival of this folklore has allowed Black community members to remain relatively conscious of enduring legacies of marronage.