The darkness of the slave ship, her aching stomach, and her fear enveloped her, yet the girl did not cry. Even at the auction block, she did not cry.
Instead, she thought of her mother’s strength to carry her throughout the terror ahead.
She was ironically re-named “Phillis” by her enslaver – a name derived from the ship that had brought her here. She toiled for the Wheatley family – yet soon learned to read and write in English, Greek, and Latin.
Her love of poetry manifested, and writing gave her a sense of freedom though she was enslaved. But soon the world would notice her genius.
A prodigy, she published her first poem at only 12! She even traveled to England to publish her first book at just 20. Her work was celebrated in America and Europe – but that didn’t matter to her enslaver, and she remained in bondage.
Two years after her book was published, and after both Wheatleys died, she was finally free – but poetic genius in a racist country did not mean she’d achieve material success. Wheatley continued writing until she died … impoverished.
Still, her life’s work lives on, reminding us that despite white supremacy, we should never doubt that we are brilliant, talented, and can accomplish anything!