A Girl Named Charity
by
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Well, hello, and thank you for coming to visit! My name is Charity Still and I am happy to know you. If you have some time, I hope you will spend it with me. My life is probably quite different from yours, because I was born over one hundred and fifty years ago, into a family of slaves in the state of Maryland. They called us “slaves,” because at that time we were considered to be the property of other people.
I grew up in the time before President Abraham Lincoln made the decisions that led to the American Civil War and before his famous Emancipation Proclamation where he said, “All men are created equal.” Mr. Lincoln abolished slavery in America, which means he set my people free. Most people agree that he was one of the greatest presidents the United States ever had.
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About the Book
Young Charity Still has one wish. She longs to be free, just like the guinea hen from her ancestral land of West Africa. She wants to be strong and free to roam the land. Instead, she is a slave, one of many on the Steele plantation in Maryland. It’s the only life she’s ever known.
Growing up before the Emancipation Proclamation becomes law, her world consists of picking cotton, beans, and corn in the hot fields and slopping the pigs. She mourns the death of her mother, survives the influenza running rampant through the slave quarters, endures beatings for her mistakes, and experiences being sold to a new owner. Through it all, Charity dreams of freedom and what it might mean.
Based on a true story, this picture book for young children puts a personal face on the history of slavery. It teaches that whatever the circumstances in life—good or bad, joyful or painful—they can be overcome. It’s important to have, hope, faith, and belief in yourself that the spirit within will provide the strength to overcome any obstacle.
About the Author
Francine C. Still Hicks studied commercial art at the Art Instructional School in Minnesota. She coordinated and directed an art and poetry exhibit for the local Amnesty International chapter. Hicks was selected to begin a campaign through coloring and activities books against drugs and violence in the county schools.