Joseph Stephanini

Joseph Stephanini (Greek: Ιωσήφ Στεφανίνις; 1803–?) was an Ottoman Greek author and runaway slave who migrated to the United States. He wrote The Personal Narrative of the Sufferings of J. Stephanini pleading to the American people to raise money to free his family from the bondage of slavery. The book circulated in the United States in the early 1830s, informing Americans of the horrors of Ottoman slavery. Stephanini's efforts in part started The Greek Slave Movement, which in part helped build momentum for American abolitionists. The most notable artistic product of the Greek Slave Movement was The Greek Slave statue by Hiram Powers.