A former slave taken from West Africa around 1750 and a veteran of the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

, Jeffrey Brace became the first African-American citizen of Poultney, Vermont

Poultney, Vermont

Poultney is a village in Rutland County of the U.S. state of Vermont. The village is entirely within the town of Poultney. The population was 1,612 at the 2010 census...

.. He became blind in his later years and published his memoirs under the title, The Blind African Slave or the Memoirs of Boyrereau Brinch Nicknamed Jeffrey Brace. The University of Vermont

University of Vermont

The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...

now offers a $500 book award in his name, giving it "to students who exemplify academic excellence and an active commitment to achieving social and economic justice."