Shifted By The Winds (36 page)

Moses was relaxed as he watched everyone arrive. The sun had just begun its ascent above the treetops, casting a golden glow over the morning. Now that the heat of summer had abated and the harvest was almost done, it was not necessary for everyone to begin work at dawn. The fields were bare, but the final remnants of the tobacco were drying, and there was still a large amount waiting transport. The rest of the men were going to be busy repairing tools and equipment broken during the season. There was still a lot to be done before the Harvest Celebration, but everything was on schedule.

Some of the workers had ridden in from their homes. Others had walked in from the quarters where they were living. More had come in from the surrounding community. The men from his old unit who had appeared in the middle of the night, and who were now sequestered in the quarters, were also working. They had insisted they work for room and board. Every man arriving was grateful for a job, and every one of them worked hard. He watched them as they gathered, wondering which ones were abusing their wife and family. The very thought made his blood boil, but he knew he had to handle things carefully.

Shuffling feet and anxious looks revealed they wondered what was going on. Different groups were usually pulled together in the morning to be given their assignments, but not since the beginning of the season had he brought them together as one unit.

Simon walked over. “What’s going on, Moses?”

“There’s not time to explain. It will all be clear when I’m done.” His brother-in-law eyed him closely, but nodded and stepped back. Moses was grateful for their effortless relationship, forged by years on the battlefield.

He stepped up onto a box he had placed on the ground so he’d be able to see every man’s face as he was speaking. “Good morning,” he called. An instant hush fell over the group as every eye turned toward him. It was interesting to view who looked anxious and who looked merely curious. He would analyze that later.

“I’m not ready to give a final report yet, but I want everyone here to know that the Cromwell tobacco harvest has broken every record ever set here. Other plantations all over the South are struggling. You men have proven what can be done when everyone has a chance to work together…reaping the benefits
together
.” He smiled as excited murmurs rose into the morning air. He let the comments continue for several moments, and then raised his hand for silence.

“Our time working together is almost over,” he continued. “Some of you will be staying, but most of you will have to move on and look for other work. I wish I could keep all of you, but it’s just not possible.” He wasn’t telling the men anything they didn’t already know, but he was trying to lay a foundation for what he was going to say next. “Freedom is not easy,” he said firmly, understanding the confused looks on the faces staring back at him. They thought they had been pulled together to talk about work.

“There was nothing about slavery that prepared you for freedom. You were beaten. You were told what to do every moment of your life. You were not allowed to make any choices of your own. You were held in ignorance, and you were punished if you tried to be something more than the animals most slave owners believed you to be.”

Moses prayed he would find the right words as he continued. “When Rose and I ran away, I didn’t know anything about being free. I knew I wanted it, and I knew I would do anything to have it, but I didn’t really know what it meant. Freedom was just a shining light that had pulled me forward for a long time. When I got it, there were times when it was overwhelming, and there were times I hoped I didn’t mess up my opportunity to live another kind of life.” He paused, certain the men were listening closely.

“The whites are just waiting for us to mess up,” he said. “They believe we are animals. That means they believe we don’t have the ability to live as free men. They believe we can’t take care of ourselves. They believe we won’t work to take care of our families. They believe we don’t care enough to get educated.” Moses’ voice rose, carrying his words through the still, crisp air with a strength and clarity that held everyone spellbound. “They believe we will all simply die off because we don’t have the ability to live life on our own, without them controlling us.”

He waited for the angry murmurs to die down before he raised his voice again. “They are wrong, of course, but one of the things I decided when I became free was that I was going to do whatever it took to prove I was different from what they believed. People in the North don’t look at us the same way as Southerners, but most of them still don’t believe we are equal. They just don’t believe we should be slaves.” He let his words sink in, understanding the anger suffusing the faces staring back at him. He waited for a long minute, glad when he saw anger being morphed into determination on most faces. He paused long enough to identify the men who remained nothing but angry, rage shimmering in their eyes and on their faces.

His voice became stronger as he spoke, slightly awestruck at the words coming from him. He’d done nothing to prepare because he had no idea what he should say. He had simply prayed a desperate prayer and then stepped onto the box. The words were coming from a place he couldn’t identify, but his confidence grew as they flowed from him. “Millions of black people have lived and died as slaves in America. Many of them gave their lives to pave the way for us to be free. My daddy was one of them. The men we lost in battle during the war paid that price as well. We
all
know some of them…” He let his words take root in their minds. “They have given us a gift beyond value. You are
free
. Your wives are
free
. Your children are
free
. Every single one of us has a chance to create a life that the slaves before us could only dream about.” He stopped, hoping his words were getting through. “What you do right now will determine if the price they paid was worth it.”

Dees silence was the only response as they all looked back at him expectantly.

“When you were a slave, did you dream of never being beaten again? Did you dream of being treated like you were as human as the people who controlled you? Did you dream of living a life where there was no fear?” Passion reverberated through Moses’ words. “Did you?” he demanded, taking a moment to gaze at each man standing before him. Most met his eyes squarely, others looked away.

“My question to you this morning is, are you are treating every person in your life the way you dreamed of being treated when you were a slave? Or have you become like the slave owners you hated so much and yearned to be free of?” Moses was aware of Simon’s startled look, but he wasn’t done. “Every single one of you has things to be angry about. There is nothing wrong with anger, because many times it gives you the motivation to change whatever is making you feel that way.” He took a deep breath. “It’s what you do with the anger that can create a problem. So I ask you again… Are you treating the people in your life the way you dreamed of being treated, or have you become like the slave owners you hated so much?”

Moses watched each man’s reaction carefully. He saw thoughtful looks on the faces that registered agreement. He saw caged anger on other faces, and knew he was looking at the men who were abusing their families. Pent up anger that intense demanded an outlet. His gut tightened as he thought of the women and children living in fear.

His eyes sought out Morah’s husband, Abraham, and he saw what he knew he would. The man was a capable worker, but he carried an intense anger that seemed to radiate off him. Moses tensed even more when he watched as Abraham’s eyes sought out Dexter. The two of them together were sure to mean trouble.

Moses understood Morah’s fear that direct intervention could make things more difficult for her, but there was only one thing he knew to do. “From this moment forward, I want it known that no man who works on Cromwell Plantation will be abusive to their family. If I hear of anyone hitting or beating their wife or children, I will let them go immediately. I realize many of you are moving on at the end of the season. Some of you have already come to me about writing a letter you can show to whoever you work for next. I’m more than happy to do that, but if I find out anyone is not treating their family right, you won’t get that letter.”

He stopped, searching for what else he needed to say. He could tell by the looks on the faces surrounding him that he had gotten through, but he felt like he was leaving things unfinished. “I know many of you believe your anger is justified. I agree with you. All of us have the right to be outraged about the years that were stolen from us,” he said. “What we
don’t
have the right to do is take it out on people who had nothing to do with it. The United States government has decided the black man is the head of the household. That might make you believe that gives you power over your family. What that
really
means is that you have the
responsibility
for your family. You have the responsibility to treat them well and give them a chance to build a life different than anything they have ever lived. You have the responsibility to treat your wife as your equal because
she is
,” he said. “Just because the government has decided men are better than women, that doesn’t mean it’s true.”

Moses wished Rose could be present to hear him. He knew she would be cheering. He felt like doing the same thing. He’d had no idea what he was going to say when he began. He couldn’t know if his speech would have the impact he hoped for, but he was confident he had been heard, and everything within him told him it had been powerful. He had done what Rose had requested him to do. It would have to be enough for now.

“Very impressive.”

Moses turned toward Simon as the men dispersed to their work. “Thank you.” He watched Abraham walk away, his face still an angry mask. “Do you think it did any good?”

Simon looked thoughtful. “I hope so, but only time will tell. June told me some of the women are suffering. The important thing is that you told the men the truth.”

Moses shook his head. “But if it doesn’t do any good…”

Simon interrupted him. “I didn’t say that. What I said was that the most important thing was for you to tell them the truth. You’re not responsible for what they do with it. You’re going to need to understand that as you move forward.”

Moses stared at him. “As I what?”

Simon chuckled. “You and I both know you’re a born leader, Moses. Didn’t you tell me when you got back from the riot in Memphis that you wanted to do more?”

“Yes, but—”

“Now it’s your time to do more,” Simon continued, not even acknowledging his interruption. “Every man here today was listening to you. I’ve heard lots of people talk before that weren’t never heard. Every one of them heard you just now because you spoke in words they could understand, and you knew just how to hit them with what you were saying. Now, I’m not a speaker, but I sure recognize one when I see one.”

Moses opened his mouth to interrupt again, but Simon merely kept talking.

“It’s time for you to do more than
talk
about being a leader for your people, Moses.”

“I’m a tobacco farmer,” Moses protested, knowing even as the words came from his mouth that his days as a farmer were numbered.

“And a good one,” Simon agreed. “You’ve changed things for a bunch of men, but you’re meant for something much bigger than this.”

Moses turned his head to gaze out over the fields. He wanted to refute Simon’s words, but he couldn’t. He also didn’t know why he was still resisting. He and Rose had already made plans to go to college. He was already thinking about being a lawyer. Why was he still so insistent that he was only a tobacco farmer? He knew the answer before he even asked it.