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THE VOICE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMANHOOD
Vol. XXXVIII
March 10,1993
A AKA Z
2???0
©AST B
Sororities. 1 Sisterhood Inc.
by Dineo A. S. Brinson
Contributing Writer
With tears in her eyes, Sarah finally
realizes at nineteen years old that she is
almost home. Where is home you
might ask. Canada or Freedom is what
she might answer, for they are one and
the same for this runaway slave of
Colonel Fairling’s plantation in North
Carolina in 1850. Tim Reid’s "Race
To Freedom: The Underground
Railroad" is the name of this soul
stirring saga and Sarah is the female
highlight of this salute to African-
Americans. Sarah comes to terms with
her inner voices and chooses free- dom,
at the risk of losing her life, rather than
living it in slavery. Her catalyst is the
love of her life, Thomas. Hoping for a
small miracle, Thomas tells Sarah,
"We’re meetin’ in the grove an hour
past sundown. Sarah, please, be there."
Sarah does meet Thomas and two
others, Minnie and Walter, in the grove
that evening.
' These four young slaves
courageously begin their journey to
freedom with the help of the
Underground Railroad. With the
powerful spirituals in the background,
you cannot help but be touched by the
blessing of the Underground Railroad
because it is humanity at its best. Dr.
Alexander Ross, a white Canadian, is
one such humanitarian who gives them
the "keys" to their survival homes with
a candle burning in the window and the
words "a friend of a friend." Often
forgotten is the most important key -
their own courage.
Sarah, Thomas, Minnie, and Walter
travel through the swamp, th hills, the
mountains, the woods, the com fields,
and the rain and mud, too. They do
not look back because bounty hunters
are fast on their tracks. Sadly enough,
the bounty hunters get too close.
Walter is killed, and Thomas is taken
to be sold. Sarah and Minnie escape,
but Minnie dies along the way.
Freedom
continued on page 19
proved to be eternal.
Even with the haunts of their past,
Sarah and Thomas move to Buxton,
Canada to get married and begin a free
life together. In the last scene a liberty
bell is dedicated in their new town, and
the preacher sings out, "While we were
people oppressed, we were never slaves
It seems as if Sarah’s tears well up
inside of her and inspire her strength,
her bravery, her defiance. She makes
it to Canada by the grace of those
willing to help.strangers solely because
they are human beings and cannot allow
Spelman Hires
First Disabled
Services
Coordinator
continued on page 19
by Maleka N. Ingram
Associate Editor
Spelman College hires its first
Coordinator of Disabled Services. Ms.
Coletta Hassell has been assigned the
task of educating Spelman and
enhancing its awareness and sensitivity
of disabled services. Hassell’s
educational background and previous
work experiences are evidence of her
capabilities to do this.
In undergrad Hassell majored in
Hearing and Speech Science at the
University of Maryland, College Park.
She later received her MA in
Rehabilitation and Counseling from
Galluadet University in Washington,
D.C.
Before coming to Spelman, Hassell
worked as a Rehabilitation Counselor
for centers in the state of Georgia and
Texas.
As far as her strategy for Spelman
Hassell
others to suffer. Sarah continues to
carry' a burning love for Thomas,
although she knows he is dead. She
soon discovers he is alive and well in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are
finally reunited in a love affair that has