The
February 17, 2010
Portland Observer Black History Month
Page 19
On Bondage, Slavery and Freedom:
‘The Wedding Gift’
is a powerful tale
tends to wed his daughter.
The plantation’s patriarch, Cornelius A1 len,
prides him self as a benevolent master who
keeps his “chattel” healthy and cared for.
by J ake T homas
However, the slaves live
T he P ortland O bserver
demeaning lives with ev
With a black president in
ery waking hour devoted
office and no shortage of
The
to making the Allen’s con
wealthy African Americans
tent.
on television, slavery has
We learn that Allen fa
become a distant memory on
thered Sarah after years o f
our collective conscious
forcing on her m other,
ness, and it’s not uncom
E m m elin e.
W hen
mon to hear calls “to get over
Emmeline refuses, Allen
it.’’
sells her other daughter to
But slavery was a power-
a more brutal plantation
fill blemish on our national
owner who beats her and
history that is with us today.
makes her hands bleed
Thousands o f people were
picking cotton from sun
ripped from their homeland,
up
to sun down.
robbed o f their culture and M A R L E N S U Y A P A BO D D EN
After Sarah’s new mas
religion, and forced to spend
ter begins making sexual
the rest of their lives doing unpaid back overtures to her, she splits disguised as freed-
breaking work for the benefit of others.
man with forged papers.
“The Wedding Gift”, a novel based on an
The book succeeds in providing a nuanced
actual court case that occurred in the antebel look at the abomination o f slavery and the
lum South, paints a gripping picture o f the social complexities that surrounded it without
desperation experienced by generations of bludgeoning the reader with a moralistic tone.
slaves, and the repressive and patriarchal The prose is lean and makes for a pager turner.
social environment o f the era that robbed so
However, a couple passages seem con
many o f any control o f their lives.
trived, and could have been scenes from a b-
Written by Marlen Suyapa Bodden, a New list 1940s movie. Its “shocking” conclusion
York lawyer who represents low-wage and also seems forced.
immigrant workers, the book tells the story of
Regardless, “The Wedding Gift” does a
Sarah, a slave who is ripped from her family better job than most history textbooks in
when she is presented as a wedding gift by her revealing the abomination o f slavery, and
master to wealthy plantation owner who in why it’s so hard for some to “just get over it;
R
edding
g lF T
Ik
Dishman Hosts Free Event
Portland Parks and Recreation hosts its 7th
annual Black History Month celebration, Sat
urday, Feb. 20 from 6 pm. to 7:30 p.m. at the
Matt Dishman Community Center, 77 N.E.
Knott St.
The community is invited to the free event
which will include food, music, poetry and arts
& crafts.
Special guests and activities will include
event master of ceremonies, Keith Dempsey;
the Maranatha Miracles Choir, a hip-hop dance
class performance by Motion Monsters; Trivia
questions for prizes; an art presentation by
Shajahan Sheriff; poetry and a performance by
1 st Infantry; and a presentation on The Black
Panther Party for Self Defense by Kent Ford.
Peninsula Little League 2010
(Serving the Youth of Inner North & Northeast Portland ages 5-14)
Visit our website at: www.eteamz.active.com/peninsulalittleleague
Registration available on-line beginning January 8, 2010
S10 DISCOUNT TO BE OFFERED FOR EARLY ON-LINE REGISTRATION
IF REGISTERED BY 1/31/10
Regular Sign-ups: $64/T-Ball, $74 All other levels
This fee includes the pepperoni fund raiser. Sell one bag o f pepperoni and get $24 o ff fee.
Each bag contains 24 sticks
THURSDAYS at Boys and Girls Club
CORE of the Solution
A Black civil rights activist,
Jam es Farm er becam e
James Farmer helped organize the
w ell-know n as a civil
1960s “freedom rides” whrch led
rights leader.
to the desegregation o f interstate
W hen F a rm e r r e
buses and bus term inals.
signed as the leader o f
He also played a m ajor role in
CORE in 1966, he contin
the activities o f the Congress o f
ued to be active in a
Racial Equality serving as na
num ber o f areas and was
tional chairm an and was later
soon appointed the as
elected national director.
sistant secretary for ad
The freedom rides, along with
m inistration o f the De
other dem onstrations, captured
partm ent o f Health, Edu
the im agination o f the nation and
cation and W elfare by
exposed to the world the brutal
President Nixon.
re ta lia tio n o f m any so u th ern
Over the years, Farmer
whites against the actions o f the James Farmer
taught and lectured at
demonstrators eventually ending racial discrimi
num erous institutions and becam e a
nation and segregation.
history professor at M ary W ashing-
CORE received nationw ide attention and
ton College.
5250 NE M artin Luther King Jr. Blvd • Febniary 4, and February 18 • 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
SATURDAYS at Peninsula Park Community Center;
700 N Portland Blvd (Rosa Parks Way) • February 6, and February 13 • 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Registration forms can be com pleted in advance by downloading from our website:
www.eteamz.active.com/peninsulalittleleague
Softball Program
Level
M in o r
M a jo r
J u n io r
Ages
8 -1 0
10- 12
13-14
Questions contact:
Mark Washington *
503-288-0033
markw(o portlandobserver.com
Baseball Program
Level
T-Ball
Farm
Minor
M a jo r
J u n io r
Ages
5 -6
7- 8
8 - 10
10-12
13-14
Questions contact:
Jjay Lincoln - j l i n k s ^ tmail.com
Items to bnng to sign-ups: Birth Certificate; Proof o f Address: Doctor/Insurance Information; Player Fee
Little League Baseball, Incorporated does not limit participation in its activities on the basis o f
disability, race, creed, color, national origin, gender, sexual preference or religious preference.