Through the Ages
Third Place: Edmond Ruth
Susquehanna High School
Billy Waterson- 1802
When I was a kid, Father would tell me about when he was back home in a small village with all his friends and family. Those times were simple. The children would play, acting like hunters, while the men would actually do the hunting, bringing home food for the women to clean and cook. He would sometimes go on hunting trips with his father. On one fateful trip, he went out too far. Grandpop would always tell him not to stray away from the hunting pack. But, boy, was dad a knucklehead! Hey, if he hadn’t been, I wouldn’t be here
Thomas Waterson- 1884
In my early adult years, when I was somewhere between 15 and 19 years old, my mom Tandy would tell me what slavery was like. She would explain that people were treated like pieces of property, always worn out, calloused on their hands, and rough all over except for the long smooth streaks on their backs. Though life for her as a house servant wasn’t all that physically taxing, it was mentally exhausting. Always having to get this, do that, clean this, redo that, fix this--all while maintaining her sanity, which somehow she managed to do. If she hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here.
Theron Waterson- 1903
In my late 20s, my father Jackson Waterson told me how he thought it would have felt when he attained his freedom. And, man, he thought it would be sweet. While he was a slave, it was like looking at a plump, warm, golden brown apple pie sitting on the windowsill for everyone to see, but if you wanted some, you must pass the color test. The test was simple: White, you eat it all night; Brown, you drown in the sound of smacking lips. And you can guess whether he passed or not. But once he got the taste of freedom, it was not as appetizing as he had expected. The pie was already old and had little to no sweet flavoring in it. With the freedom he had, he didn’t know where to go or what to do, but he made up his mind and went to Harlem, New York, and if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here.