I was taught to embroider at the age of 4 by my mother, who was also taught by her mother and so on. Having been widowed early and having to support eight children, I often did embroidery only as an ornamental art, decorating pillowcases to sell in markets. One day, while missing my deceased father, William Bryant, I remembered stories that he told me of the community he had been raised in. My father was from Alabama, and his stories were so full of wonderful people I wish I had known. My father always wanted me to know, that our ancestors were not 'slaves' they were an enslaved people. Slavery was their condition, it did not define them. I hope to bring another view of my ancestors that has been ignored...they survived and thrived!
