Dearest Sister,
It is Abigail here writin' to you with a quiverin' hand and a heavy heart. I am but a 24-year-old black woman that spends most of my days pickin' cotton in the plantation fields of the Deep South. Oh, how I can imagine the shock that you would feel as you read my letter, being so far away in time and space. But my sister, I must tell you 'bout the hard times that we live in every day.
We rise before the sun is even up, and we labor in the fields until it is time to return to our shacks, long after the sun has set. The sun beats down on us, our hands and backs workin' without stoppin', bendin' over row after row of cotton. It is a life of endless toil and constant struggle, where any mistake we make can result in a whippin' or a beatin'.
We are seen as nothin' but property, stripped of our dignity and humanity. The white overseers take away our voice and our will, makin' us into nothin' but a tool for their own gain. It is a life of oppression, where our hope is constantly tested and our spirits are broken.
But even in the midst of this, we find ways to fight back. We sing spirituals to find the strength to go on, takin' joy in the small moments that make our burdens a little lighter. We hold tight to the hope that we will one day be free from this life of bondage, that we will be seen as full and equal human beings.
And even though we are apart, my sister, we are connected by the shared struggles of our ancestors. We must continue to fight for justice and equality, to carry on their legacy of strength and resistance.
I am just a simple woman, not educated or well-read. But I have been sneakin' books from the overseer's quarters, teachin' myself to read a little bit at a time. It gives me hope that there is more out there than just what we see in the fields. I urge you, my sister, to keep fighting and resistin'. Together, we can create a better future for ourselves and for generations to come.
With love and hope,
Abigail
Part 1: From Abigail https://www.relentlessaaron.net/dear-moet/
Part 2: Moet Responds: https://www.relentlessaaron.net/?p=12206
Part 3: From Abigail to Moet: https://www.relentlessaaron.net/?p=12217
