During Black History Month, Papa K and I read two books: Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom and Voices from the Underground Railroad. After the readings, Papa K went to the map to discuss one of the many escape routes used by slaves trying to escape up North and to Canada.
The code word: “We are going to Heaven.”
We shared so many facts with the students.
Did you know that Harriet Tubman completed the journey from the South to the North and back 19 times to free slaves? She never lost one person and we were all stunned to learn that her first husband was a free man and refused to escape for fear of getting caught. Harriet eventually left him and remarried.
In my research, I also learned that Slave auctions were held up North, too. So Papa K and I went on a field trip to Wall Street in NYC to see the Slave Auction Marker. It made us sad, but determined to continue in this Literacy War.
We had so much to share this month, but Papa K was still able to find the time to tell the class about his walking stick from Jamaica. He talked about Jamaican music and their delicious, mouth-watering cuisine.
We took the class a bit deeper with questions about the Jamaican flag and what the colors symbolize. Then we had them write a paragraph with three facts about famous Jamaicans: Usain Bolt, Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, Marcus Garvey, and Harry Belafonte.
