Easter pulled an old rag from her pocket and wiped her forehead. "You think we will ever get there, Nancie?"
Nancie nodded to her old friend. "Soon."
Easter stopped. Nancie watched as Easter looked at her feet and then at her gnarled hands. She dusted them against her old frayed skirt and gently touched her knees through the fabric. "Who will want us? Not much left of us now."
Nancie lifted her head and squared her shoulders. Her feet and knees were sore, but she would not surrender. "Plenty left. We will make way." She touched her gray hair. "Wise now." She touched her heart. "G.o.d here." Then her head. "Here." She nodded. "Egzi" abher Ab still with us."
Limping sometimes, the pair made their way farther along the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp, a place where they fed on fish they caught and drank brown, healing water. They rested there beneath the trees, while their feet cooled in the water and minnows flitted around their toes.
Nancie saw her reflection there. The years and the loss rested deep in her eyes. In the water, she saw her mother"s face, and her daughter"s. She thought she heard her husband, Josef"s, voice calling to her from the stream. Nancie thought she saw her cousin Misha drift by cradling her baby in her arms.
Nancie sighed then and realized that she was crying. She turned to see Easter with her skirt hem pressed to her face. Nancie put her arm around her old friend"s shoulders and sang to Easter the song that her daughter, Ribka, sang to her in Ethiopia.
I am black but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem....
THE NEXT MORNING they rose and began the final leg of their journey. The day stretched out before them. The longer they walked, the farther it seemed they had to go.
Finally, Nancie walked over the gray, gravelly sand and stepped into the cold waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Ships waited at the wharf, their sails billowing in the sun. Overhead, birds flew almost high enough, it seemed, to touch the clouds.
Nancie caught her breath. It was as Nathan, her Negasi, promised. Chilled. She touched her hand to the tatter in her pocket.
She was wrong. The tatter was not all she had. Her son was not with her, but she had her memories. And he had not died in vain.
Born beneath the blood moon, he had been the first to fight, but not in vain. Her Nathan-a man of two continents-had borne the family debt. He sounded the warning; he foretold the war and struck the first blow. But as he had promised, others had followed him into the battle, and they had marched and fought until all were free. She had more than the tatter; Nathan had left her a gift.
Negasi! Leaping like a child, she screamed his name into the wind. She turned and held out her hand for Easter.
She introduced herself to her old friend. "I am Nikahywot," she said. She giggled and then wiggled as though she were still a young girl with a king"s pillow behind her.
She looked east, toward the falls, toward the highlands. The breezes kissed her hair and ruffled her skirt. Still holding Easter"s hand, she lifted hers and spoke to those far away.
"Free!" Nikahywot said.
Acknowledgments.
I am grateful to so many, like Karen Ball, Virelle Kidder, Deni Williamson, Sara Fortenberry, and Don Jacobson, who helped open the doors of publishing to me. Thanks to writer friends like Neta and Dave Jackson, Marilynn Griffith, Claudia Mair Burney, Stanice Anderson, Victoria Christopher Murray, Dr. Gail Hayes, and Karen Kingsbury, who have been sources of inspiration and wise counsel.
Thanks to the editorial team members at Howard and Simon & Schuster like Julee Schwarzburg, and especially to Dave Lambert, whose editorial insight and belief in me and this project helped it come to fruition.
Thank you to my agent, Mark Sweeney.
Faced with what seemed to be only closed doors and no budget, I am more than grateful to people who stood in the gap: Stanice Anderson and her son, Mike Tucker, who stepped out on faith and became Anderson & Tucker Agency-Publicity, Marketing & Promotion Architects. What you"ve accomplished has been remarkable. Thank you also to Dee Stewart, Marina Woods, and GoodGirlBookclubonline.com, Tia Ross and the Black Writers Alliance, Shana Adams and the Durham Arts Council, Ella Curry and Black Pearls, Linda Beed, Yango Sawyer, Joe Madison, Michael Eric Dyson, Monique Greenwood, Kam Williams, Regina Gail Malloy, and to the Washington a.s.sociation of Black Journalists for beating the drums and helping spread the word about Nat Turner.
Thank you to all the warriors I have known, to those in my family and to those with whom I"ve worked. Blessings and love to my former Pentagon and DINFOS coworkers who have faithfully supported me, especially Lisa, Carol, Mark, Kenneth, Neil, Cody, John, Glenda, Robert, Tammi, and Edie. A special thanks to Marshall Dobson for sharing the psychology of battle.
Thank you to the host of librarians who have supported me through the years, like Jan Morley, Erica Holmes, Sharon Barrow, Saundra Cropps, and Sheryl Underwood. A special thank-you to those librarians who provided research a.s.sistance: Ann Southwell and Regina Rush at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia; Elizabeth Burgess, collections manager at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center; Katherine Wilkins, a.s.sistant librarian at the Virginia Historical Society; and Chris Kolbe, archives research coordinator, Special Collections, Library of Virginia. Thank you also to Gary Vikan for sharing his knowledge of ancient Ethiopian art.
I am indebted to the descendants of Nat Turner, like Bruce Turner, and the rebellion"s victims for sharing their stories. I owe a special debt of grat.i.tude to local historians, James McGee and Rick Francis. Mr. McGee and his lovely wife, Lavenia, welcomed my daughter and me into their home. He shared his artwork, memories-like his recollection of a lamp shade fashioned from Nat Turner"s skin-and the history of Southampton County. He left me with a charge: Find the truth and teach. I hope that I have met the challenge.
Mr. Francis, the great-grandson of Nathaniel Francis, was incredibly generous in sharing his time, local history and lore, and resources. It was he who confirmed the location of Nat Turner"s trial records. In between serving as Southampton County Clerk, spearheading the drive for the Nat Turner Trail in Virginia, he responded to emails, calls, and met with me when I came to Courtland seeking answers. Thank you for your openness, your courage, and your commitment to truth.
Thank you to Chief Walt Brown for sharing the history of the Cheroenhaka Nottoway, the significance of the Artis surname, and their connection to the Turner revolt.
Thank you to preachers and ministries who have taught me and prayed for me, like Bishop Walter S. Thomas and First Lady Patricia of New Psalmist Baptist Church of Baltimore; Rev. and Senator James Meeks and First Lady Jamell of Salem Baptist Church of Chicago; Mary Williams and the Bible Witness Camp of Pembroke, Illinois; First Lady Norma McLauchlin, Patricia Davis, and the Lady Lifers of New Life Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina; and to the inspiring Daily Guideposts family. Thanks to Dr. Wendy Campbell, Carl Prude, and my other brothers and sisters from East St. Louis.
Thank you to wonderful teachers like Mrs. Cannady, Miss Basin, and my beloved Mrs. Wachter. Heartfelt thanks to Dr. Evie Adams Welch, professor of African American studies and South African literature, who believed in me when I was a struggling, newly married, and pregnant freshman at Western Illinois University. She planted the seed for this book more than thirty years ago and whispered songs of Ethiopia. Thank you. Thank you to my Gashe Getachew Haile-curator of the Ethiopian Study Center, Regents Professor of Medieval Studies, and cataloguer of Oriental Ma.n.u.scripts, Hill Monastic Ma.n.u.script Library at Saint John"s University-for sharing ancient Ethiopia with me.
To my friends and family, thank you for loving and believing in me, even when I struggle to believe in myself. Thank you Glenda, Theresa, Margaret Ann, Darlene, Mary, Joji, and many, many others. I am grateful to my father, brothers, nieces, nephews, cousins, and especially LaJuana. Lanea and Chase, there would have been no Nat Turner without the two of you. Thank you for your prayers, inspiration, friendship, and your impeccable editorial judgment. Thank you for covering me.
Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise G.o.d our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Thank you, Lord.
Bibliography
A brief list of resources for further study and entertainment.
For more information and resources concerning Nat Turner, visit www.theresurrectionofnatturner.com.
Books
Applegate, Debby. The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher. New York: Doubleday, 2006.
Aptheker, Herbert. Nat Turner"s Slave Rebellion. 1966. Reprint, Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2006.
Brown, William Wells. Clotel. 1853. Reprint, Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2008.
Clarke, John Henrik, ed. William Styron"s Nat Turner: Ten Black Writers Respond. Boston: Beacon Press, 1968.
Dougla.s.s, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Dougla.s.s: An American Slave. Boston: Anti-Slavery Office, 1845.
---. The Heroic Slave. 1853. Reprint, Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2008.
Floyd, Governor John. JournalOriginal. Richmond: Johnston Family Papers, 17791891. Personal Papers Collection. Richmond: Library of Virginia.
Greenberg, Kenneth S., ed. Nat Turner: A Slave Rebellion in History and Memory. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Haile, Rebecca G. Held at a Distance: A Rediscovery of Ethiopia. Chicago: Academy Chicago Publishers, 2007.
Hedrick, Joan D. Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
The Kebra Nagast: The Queen of Sheba and Her Only Son Menyelek. Translated by E. A. Wallis Budge. 1992. Reprint, Charleston, S.C.: Forgotten Books, 2007.
"Southampton County Court Minute Book 18301835." Southampton County Courthouse, Courtland, Virginia. Also now available online: #Court_Minute_Books.
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom"s Cabin. 1852. Reprint, Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2005.
---. Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp. Edited by Robert S. Levine. 1856. Reprint, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006.
---. "Letter to d.u.c.h.ess of Argyll." Andover, Ma.s.s. Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, June 17, 1856.
Styron, William. The Confessions of Nat Turner. New York: Vintage Books, 1966.
Tragle, Henry Irving. The Southampton Slave Revolt of 1831: A Compilation of Source Material. Amherst: University of Ma.s.sachusetts Press, 1971.
Turner, Benjamin. Deed Book, Turner"s Meeting Place Deed to Nathan Turner, et al. Southampton County, Virginia. 1810.
---. Will. Southampton County, Virginia.
Turner, Nat, and Thomas Gray. The Confessions of Nat Turner (1831) by Thomas R. Gray, Nat Turner, et al. of NebraskaLincolnUniversity of NebraskaLincoln Research. Libraries at University of NebraskaLincoln. Official court records indicate that Nat Turner pled innocent, offered no confession, and that William Parker was his defense attorney. Neither William Parker nor Thomas Gray read a confession in court. According to the official record, Levi Waller and James Trezvant offered testimony in court against Nat Turner.
Vikan, Gary. Ethiopian Art: The Walters Museum.Surrey, U.K.: Third Millenium Publishing, 2001.
Wilson, Harriet E. Our Nig: Sketches from the Life of a Free Black.1959. Reprint, Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2008.
Online Resources.
"Art of Writing-Henry Ward Beecher." Old and Sold Antiques Auction. June 4, 2011. Rev. Henry Ward. "Moral Courage: Extracts from a Sermon Delivered on Sunday Evening." New York Times, 1860. "Black Soldiers." Virginia Western Community College. David. "Africans in America, Part 4: David Blight on William Lloyd Garrison." PBS. Jennifer. "Black Soldiers Celebrated as Civil War"s Forgotten Heroes." Tennessean, May 31, 2011. Chief Walt. Cheroenhaka Nottoway Indian Tribe Official Site. Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe Tribal Council. Elizabeth. Peace Research Inst.i.tute Oslo. "A History of Cape Verde: Centre/Periphery Relations and Transnational Cultural Flows." in or_Elizabeth.pdf Davis, Paul. "Projo.com Digital Extra." Providence Journal, 2006. "Doc.u.menting the American South-Fighting Slavery with the Pen: Harriet Beecher Stowe"s 196th Birthday." William S. The Southampton Insurrection. Washington, D.C.: Neal, 1900. Born in 1867, Drewry"s account of the 1831 event makes allegations without attributions and, because of racial bias, is difficult to read. However, it does provide surviving local lore.
E. Bruce Kirkham Collection, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford, Conn.
EH.net-U.S. Agricultural Workforce, 18001900. Negro Convention Movement. and Egyptian Art at the Walters Museum. Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Orthodox Tewahedo Church Faith and Order. "Family Accused of Forcing Homeless into Farm Labor." Orlando Sentinel, July 29, 1993. Governor John. Proclamation Concerning Nat Turner. September 17, 1831. "Frederick Dougla.s.s." PBS. "Frederick Dougla.s.s-Abraham Lincoln." Abraham Lincoln"s Emanc.i.p.ation Proclamation & 13th Amendment. Lincoln Inst.i.tute and Lehrman Inst.i.tute. "Frederick Dougla.s.s & Talbot County." Historical Society, Talbot County, Md. Ethiopia Travel Photos. Ronnie. "Fields of Despair-2000s-MiamiHerald.com." Miami & Ft. Lauderdale News,2003. Guide to the Johnston Family Papers, 17791891 (includes Governor Floyd"s diary). to Speech and Photographs Related to Nat Turner. Christopher. "Ethiopian Icons-Early Christianity." Villanova University. Getachew. "Ethiopian Study Center and Curator." Hill Museum & Ma.n.u.script Library, St. John"s University. J. M. "J. M. Harden: An Introduction to Ethiopic Christian Literature." 1926. Christian Cla.s.sics Ethereal Library. Beecher Stowe Center. Gwen. "Exhibit Shows Slavery in New York: January 25, 2007." PBS. 2007. Civil War Sites, Heritage Trails.