We take a high school field trip to one of the largest tobacco plantations in the South. A tribute to America’s triumphant antebellum era. We tour the mansion drinking sweetened tea from mason jars as our guide points to the neo-classic architecture.
Missing are the hundreds of black bodies, toiling under the hot sun. The white overseer on horseback, smoking a wooden pipe, snapping the cowhide whip against the closest exposed back. “Nigger!”
Nameless faces disappear from history. In the corner, a black child in rags lays her nappy head on her knees and cries. No one else sees her.
word count: 100
—Nortina
February is Black History Month, and although school curriculum, tourist attractions, etc. try to polish over our blemished history, we can never forget where we’ve come from, black or white, especially with what is currently going on in today’s world.
This is in response to the photo prompt for this week’s Friday Fictioneers (write a complete story using 100 words or less). Click the froggy icon below to read other stories and add your own.
Dear Nortina, Slavery was the scourge of our early history and resentment still lingers. I really don’t know how many generations it will take to end bigotry, but we’re not there yet. It makes me mad that their is still social unrest, but we raised our boys to NOT be blinded by color and I know they are raising their kids the same. Have a good week. Nan 🙂
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Chilling. History is selective, and we must ensure that the selections tell as complete a story as possible. Great story.
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Thanks, and I love that! History is definitely selective. We remember what we want to remember, but we have to remember all of it, especially the painful parts, if we want to heal.
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Dear Nortina,
A few years ago I went with a dance company to Selma, AL. At first glance, it’s a nice quiet town that rolls up its sidewalks at 7:00 pm, but there’s still a chilling undercurrent of racism. I couldn’t wait to leave.
We took a similar route with our stories this week.
Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The history never seems to go away, no matter how hard one tries to burry it. Thanks, Rochelle. And yes, i noticed that our stories were similar. Great minds think alike!
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Your computer probably read the “N” word and blocked it. i once wrote a story on my computer and used the word “whitey-tightie”, obviously refereeing to underwear – and I was told that the filter picked it up as a racial slur.
I haven’t been to Germany, but all that i read indicates that what happened in the Holocaust is evident everywhere in their society today – never to forget.
Hatred here is still rampant and so factions of America still want to hide that chapter of our lives – as they hide their racism now.
Randy
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You are 100% right, Randy. The willful ignorance in this country is almost sickening.
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A sad story that felt so real, well done.
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I literally gave me chills (Nevermind the cold, it was the story. lol). But seriously, I’m not even sure how to say why, but I loved this.
I’m definitely following you!
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I’m glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the follow! 🙂
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Really well told.
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This is a wonderfully written piece, and you’ve crafted it really effectively. I can just image these two tableau next to each other, both vivid but separated from each other.
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Interesting about the firewalls. This story was wonderful (albeit, sad). It really touched me emotionally. I think you did an amazing job writng this.
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Thank you. I’m glad it could speak to you. It is a sad story, but it’s one that needs to be told. Thanks for reading 🙂
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One of my favorite genres to read is Historical Fiction (or non-fiction) Civil War Era. I can’t “not” be appalled.
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To add to my statement that our society is trying to erase slavery from American history, I am currently at work (corporate America) and while trying to edit and post this story using my work computer, the firewalls kept blocking me (this has never happened before), claiming that my content was “suspicious”. Conspiracy theory, anyone? Maybe in a later story.
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