"I’s born in Palestine Texas. I don’t know how old I is. I was 9 years old when freedom cried out."
Till Freedom Cried Out provides a vivid, first-hand account of Texas slave life, as remembered by those who used their newfound freedom to move away from Texas. Artist Kermit Oliver’s illustrations sensitively depict vignettes of the daily life that haunted these former slaves.
After emancipation, many former slaves saw Oklahoma as a place of opportunity, and for those in Texas, new lives were just a short trip across the Red River. They carried their memories along and reported them to WPA workers with the Federal Writers’ Project in the 1930s.
Till Freedom Cried Out provides a vivid, first-hand account of Texas slave life, as remembered by those who used their newfound freedom to move away from Texas. Artist Kermit Oliver’s illustrations sensitively depict vignettes of the daily life that haunted these former slaves.
After emancipation, many former slaves saw Oklahoma as a place of opportunity, and for those in Texas, new lives were just a short trip across the Red River. They carried their memories along and reported them to WPA workers with the Federal Writers’ Project in the 1930s.
Thirty-three interviews with former Texas slaves who had moved to Oklahoma are presented here, exactly as recorded by the WPA staff. Commentary by T. Lindsay Baker and Julie P. Baker provides context and sheds light on many of the details referred to in the oral histories.
Unlike most works written about slavery from the vantage point of whites, Till Freedom Cried Out is a first-hand view of everyday life for one-third of Texas’ population in 1860. These former slaves recalled family life or its absence as they were sold away from parents; their work on plantations, ruled by the overseer’s lash; being forced to satisfy the master’s desires; as well as the ways in which slaves sought solace in religious worship, music, or a walk in the woods.
Unlike most works written about slavery from the vantage point of whites, Till Freedom Cried Out is a first-hand view of everyday life for one-third of Texas’ population in 1860. These former slaves recalled family life or its absence as they were sold away from parents; their work on plantations, ruled by the overseer’s lash; being forced to satisfy the master’s desires; as well as the ways in which slaves sought solace in religious worship, music, or a walk in the woods.
T. LINDSAY BAKER, author of many books, is director of academic programs and graduate studies for the Department of Museum Studies at Baylor University. JULIE P. BAKER is director of the Layland Museum in Cleburne. They live in Rio Vista, Texas. KERMIT OLIVER is the only American ever commissioned to create artwork for the famous House of Hermés designer scarves. Oliver, a former student of John Biggers at Texas Southern University, lives in Waco and has had his work exhibited regularly for nearly thirty years.
Number Six: The Clayton Wheat Williams Texas Life Series
Till Freedom Cried Out ISBN 0-89096-736-9 $29.95 LC 96-38575. 7x10. 192 pp. 20 line drawings. Bib. Index. African American Studies. Texas History. Publication Date: August 1996
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