Alfred Niger

Alfred Niger was born in 1797 to Theophilus Niger and his wife, most likely in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, where he was baptized in 1808.^[1][3] He lived and worked as a barber in Providence, Rhode Island from 1824 to his death in 1862. On November 4, 1827, in Providence, Niger married Julia Bowen.^[4][5][6] By 1850, Alfred and Julia had at least three children together, Elizabeth, Margaret, and Alexander Petion (after Alexander Petion).^[7][8]

Beginning in the 1830s, Niger became active in the Black national convention movement. At a Black national convention in Philadelphia in 1835, Niger, along with William Whipper and Augustus Price, was elected to draft and deliver an address to the American Moral Reform Society that explained the purpose of the organization to the general public.

The men declared that "'the depravity of our morals' provoked racial prejudice and claimed that moral reform offered the best means for improving the conditions of black Americans." The speech also called for "the elimination of 'national distinctions, complexional variations, geographical lines, and sectional bounds' in the reform society's conduct.^[9]

Beginning in the early 1830s, Niger served as a Providence delegate to the New England Anti-Slavery Society, led by William Lloyd Garrison. In 1836, Niger with other Rhode Islanders created the Rhode Island Anti-Slavery Society (RIASS). Niger was only one of two men in the organization. According to historian CJ Martin: "From then until the end of the suffrage movement, the RIASS was to be Black Providence leaders’ most powerful ally –- likely because of Niger's leadership within it." By 1837, Niger had become a member of the RIASS’s powerful Executive Committee.  Martin writes: "He undoubtedly had a hand in writing the committee’s resolutions that year, two of which were dedicated to prioritizing, concurrently to ending slavery in the South, the idea that all distinctions of color, which were infringements on the Declaration of Independence’s ideas about equality in mankind, should be abolished."^[8]

In 1846, Niger served as a Providence delegate to the American Anti-Slavery Society.^[8]

According to historian Stanley Lemons, the Black community of Providence, Rhode Island was disorganized until the 1820s, and by the 1830s had developed "a vital community life ... complete with churches, schools, fraternal societies, businesses, and reform organization." Lemons points to the opening of the African Union Meeting House in 1820 as beginning this period of significant development.

Lemons writes; "Working against great obstacles and without aid, Negroes slowly built up modest business and financial holdings. By 1841, these included grocery stores, shoe repair shops, and second hand clothing stores. In 1822 the total worth of black property was approximately $10,000 (~$296,643 in 2024). By 1839 the estimate ranged between $35,000 and $50,000. ... Most amazing, two-thirds of the Negroes in Providence lived in their own homes."^[10]

It was in this environment that Niger both owned his own home and developed his own business as a barber in early 19th century Providence, Rhode Island. When the City of Providence sought to levy taxes on the increasing amounts of Black-owned property, the Black community reacted by arguing that it was taxation without representation. At a protest meeting at the African Union Meeting House, Niger was elected to be its secretary, and George C. Willis its chairman. Both Niger and Willis were known to be collaborators of William Lloyd Garrison, and thus were connected to the antislavery movement.^[10]