Fred Doug and I were tight, yo.

The implications of discussing the humanity of slaves in the antebellum period in an American literature class are different from classroom to classroom. 

Frederick Douglas speaks of his time at the residence of a slave breaker. “Break and be broken. That was the order.” A white kid shakes his head and tries to understand, but the words Douglas wrote weigh heavily on the shoulders of a black student in a way our classmates will never understand. The classroom full of african american students goes silent and that weight keeps all hearts quiet if only for a moment. 

That is an experience only they will have, as they watch someone who represents a not so distant ancestor fall under the crush of a whip.