Turns out the answer is absolutely, yes. In today's climate, many Wisconsin residents seem to have forgotten the state fought on the side of the Union in the Civil War and, despite not being particularly forward-thinking in the matter of desegregation (as far as I know) was considered at least better than living in the South to the extent of having several historical Black communities in some larger cities. A few lessons on the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman, and that finishes off the Civil War. Growing up in the South myself, that was about all I ever heard about the Civil War either.
This is a whole new look at the Underground Railroad; speaking from the viewpoint of the slaves who traveled on it and, most importantly, the free Black people who helped them. Don Tate introduces readers to a largely forgotten but vitally important figure, William Still. His father was able to purchase his own freedom, but left for the North to escape the risk of being enslaved again. His wife, Sidney, took her two daughters and escaped North to rejoin her husband, leaving behind her two older sons.
In New Jersey they raised a family of 15 children, including the youngest, William. As a child he helped an escaped slave hide from slave catchers and flee farther north. He struggled to attend school, between his father's demands that survival and their farm be the priority and the racism and attacks he experienced when trying to attend school. As a young man he journeyed to Philadelphia, hoping to make a new life for himself.
After several years of low-paying and arduous work, he found a job as an office clerk with the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. He hoped to find more freedom and improve himself, but was at first disappointed. The pay was low and the actual work of the Society - speaking and writing - was done by white people. William was basically the janitor. Eventually, however, he became the Manager of the society. With his home as a stop on the Underground Railroad, William was shocked one day, when listening to the story of an escaped slave, to discover the man was his own older brother.
In an effort to help other families be reunited, William Still began to keep records of names, physical appearances, missing family, and the stories of those who had fled slavery. When the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, resulting not only in the brutal re-enslavement of escaped slaves but the kidnapping and enslavement of free Blacks as well, William Still hid the records that were now deadly for both him and those he had helped.
Eventually, he resigned from the society to start a business and support his family. The Civil War resulted in the end of slavery, though not of prejudice and injustice. William Still, now a successful businessman, continued to fight for freedom for other Black people and in 1872 published the stories he had so carefully saved.
Don Tate's illustrations show the sorrow and hardship of slavery and life for Black people, free or enslaved, without being graphic or frightening for young readers. A palette of soft colors emphasizes a wide variety of brown skin tones that glow with the colors recorded by William Still, "Copper. Chestnut. Dark brown."
Back matter includes a timeline and an author's note, talking about his research and inspiration for this book.
Verdict: There are so many powerful things about this book; the age-appropriate but honest description of slavery, prejudice, and the hardships faced by William Still and other Black people. The expansion of the story of the Underground Railroad to emphasize the slaves who escaped on it and the Black people who helped them, rather than the stories of white people. Like William Still, who wanted the stories of his people to be heard, Don Tate has done an excellent job of reviving the long-lost voice of a powerful figure from history.
ISBN: 9781561459353; Published November 2020 by Peachtree; F&G provided by publisher; Preordered for the library
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