by Anne Schraff
The sound effects of groaning and clanking chains accompanied the stories of the other slaves. Alonee, Kevin, and Derrick all looked and sounded powerful. And then it was time for Sereeta.
Sereeta wore a long gray dress, and she looked small and haggard on the stage. But she still looked beautiful, because not even the drab dress and the shabby surroundings could dull her sparkling eyes or diminish the loveliness of her dark curls against the honey brown skin of her face. She stood still and erect at midstage, illuminated by a single spotlight, and spoke.
“I am Harriet Tubman,” she began in a strong voice. “I was born around 1820 and I grew up a slave. Until I was about five, I played in the woods with other children. But when I was six I was put to work. When I didn’t do a good job of cleaning the house, I was whipped. One day, when I was fifteen, I helped a boy escape slavery. An overseer was so angry he threw a lead weight at me. It hit me in the head, and it left a dent in my forehead for the rest of my life. I suffered bad headaches and often I fainted. When I was in my twenties, I ran from my slave master, and then I helped many others escape North into Canada. They called me the Black Moses because I led my people to freedom. I will never forget the first day I was free. ‘There was such glory over everything . . . ’ ”
Tears shone on Sereeta’s cheeks. “I am Harriet Tubman . . . nothing could stop me. Cruel masters could not stop me. Poverty could not stop me. The pain and suffering of my life could not stop me. I overcame it all. You can too. We all can . . . no matter what pain or sorrow comes into your lives you can overcome as I did . . . I am Harriet Tubman and I saw the light.”
The glee club broke into the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome,” to the thunderous applause of the audience. Everybody shouted, “Happy birthday, Harriet Tubman!”
Backstage, behind the curtain, the cast hugged and congratulated one another before changing their clothes. Afterward, Ms. McDowell told them all they were great and dismissed them. Jaris saw Sereeta and asked, “Want a ride home, babe?” Sereeta smiled at him, took him by the hand to midstage, and pulled the curtain aside enough for them to look out. They poked their heads out from behind the curtain. The audience had left the auditorium, but one elderly lady sat there in a purple dress. She had honey brown skin and sparkling eyes. She saw Sereeta, waved to her, and winked.
Back behind the curtain, Sereeta told Jaris, “I’m going home with Grandma . . . for good.”
Jaris hugged Sereeta with all his might. It was so good to see her laughing at last—his little doll.