Shana Keller - Bread for Words

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WRITTEN BY SHANA KELLER

ILLUSTRATED BY KAYLA STARK

A FREDERICK DOUGLASS STORY

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I know where I was born , not when . It was Tuckahoe , Maryland .

I lived free as a bird near the bay in a small cabin with Grandma .

There wasnt a whole lot to do inside our cramped cabin , so I called to

the birds , the frogs , the cats , and the dogs . I chirped and barked and

squabbled until even the animals couldnt tell if I was one of their own .

One day , Grandma told me I would have to leave .

Why ? I asked.

We belong to Old Master , she said . We are slaves.

What does that mean ? I thought I belonged to Grandma .

They wont teach you a thing , but to work .

And you wont have a choice .

But

why am I a slave ?

I did not want to be told when to work ,

where to work,

how to work . ..

and not have a choice.

Grandma was silent on the day we left the cabin early in the

morning. We walked twelve long miles on a day swamped with

heat and bugs to a place called the Great House Farm .

When we arrived , children ran out to see me . They surrounded me ,

laughing and teasing me so . Then Grandma left without saying

goodbye . I met my brothers and sisters at the Great House , but I

didnt know them well . Without Grandma , I was too sad to play .

Then I met Daniel ; he lived in the Great House .

We hunted and hiked and fished together. Daniel occasionally

shared his cakes with me. He showed me the

Great House and all the grand rooms inside , including his .

Except for the color of our skin, it was hard to know

why we were different.

Daniel was not a slave . He wasnt born into it .

At night , Daniel slept in a warm bed with a full belly .

I had no bed .

On the coldest nights , I slept with a bag used to carry corn.

It wasnt long enough to cover my feet , so I put it over my head .

I didnt have enough to eat or enough clothes to stay warm .

When his tutor came , he taught Daniel to read and write and speak .

I wanted to learn , too , but Grandma was right . They didnt give me a choice .

I didnt even know my age , but Daniel knew his .

I was not old enough to work in the field .

I was told to

clean the yards , keep the birds out of the garden , and drive the cows.

Unlawful .

Unsafe .

No matter how bad I wanted to learn to read and write ,

they wouldnt teach me a thing. It was illegal , they said .

Why ? I walked like them . I talked like them . I walked

and talked exactly like them . I showed them I could .

Is that why I was sent to Baltimore , far away from my brothers and sisters ?

I left the plantation the same way Grandma did , without saying goodbye.

City life was different from plantation life . There was plenty

of food for me to eat , and warm clean clothes for me to wear .

At night ,

I now had a good straw bed , with covers

.

In Baltimore , I lived with Mr . Hugh Auld , kin to Old Master ,

and his wife , Mrs . Sophia .

I was told to take care

of little Thomas

, their young son .

Mrs . Sophia was kind at first . She knew as little of

slavery as I did . When she read to Thomas from the

Bible , I followed along . To my surprise , she taught me

what no one else would : my ABCs .

She taught me how to spell next . I felt proud to know

three - and four-letter words . She was proud of me , too .

But when Mr . Auld saw what I could do , anger caught

ahold of him .

He

should know nothing , but to do as he is told

,

he said . If

you teach Freddy how to read ,

there would be no keeping him

.

He forbade Mrs. Sophia from teaching me .

From that moment , I understood the pathway from slavery

to freedom

.

If I learned to read , I could loosen the chains of bondage .

I couldnt give up , but how would I learn now that I had lost my teacher ?

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