Authors Frye Gaillard and Marti Rosner discuss their middle grade book "The Slave Who Went to Congress"as part of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System and Office of Human Rights series with NewSouth Books.
Authors Frye Gaillard and Marti Rosner discuss their middle grade book "The Slave Who Went to Congress" as part of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System and Office of Human Rights series with NewSouth Books.
In 1870 Benjamin Turner, who spent the first 40 years of his life as a slave, was elected to the U.S. Congress. He was the first African American from Alabama to earn that distinction. In a recreation of Turner's own words, based on speeches and other writings that Turner left behind, co-authors Marti S. Rosner and Frye Gaillard have crafted the story of a remarkable man who taught himself to read when he was young and began a lifetime quest for education and freedom. As a candidate for Congress, and then as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Turner rejected the idea of punishing his white neighbors who fought for the Confederacy―and thus for the continuation of slavery―believing they had suffered enough. At the same time, he supported the right to vote for former slaves, opposed a cotton tax that he thought was hurtful to small and especially black farmers, supported racially mixed schools, and argued that land should be set aside for former slaves so they could build a new life for themselves. In this bicentennial season for the state of Alabama, the authors celebrate the life of a man who rejected bitterness even as he pursued his own dreams. His is a story of determination and strength, the story of an American hero from the town of Selma, Alabama, who worked to make the world a better place for people of all races and backgrounds.
Co-presented with the Prince George's County Office of Human Rights and NewSouth Books
Borrow the book from PGCMLS at https://tinyurl.com/1209PGC
AGE GROUP: | Elementary (5-12 yrs) |
EVENT TYPE: | Virtual Event | Storytime or Playday | Black Heritage |
Mon, Apr 22 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Tue, Apr 23 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Wed, Apr 24 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Thu, Apr 25 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Fri, Apr 26 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Sat, Apr 27 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Sun, Apr 28 | Closed |
Mon, Apr 22 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Tue, Apr 23 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Wed, Apr 24 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Thu, Apr 25 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Fri, Apr 26 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Sat, Apr 27 | 9:00AM to 5:30PM |
Sun, Apr 28 | Closed |
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