Isaac Burgan was just a kid when he decided to fight back. Burgan grew up on a North Carolina plantation where his mother, Sylva, worked as a house slave. She took him along daily to the “Big House” where he learned how to read and write from the white kids. Soon, his increasing education made his owners nervous, but he calmed their fears by using his brain for the good of the farm. Thanks to his smarts, Isaac became an influential figure on the plantation, getting perks other slaves didn’t get.But Isaac’s clout couldn’t keep his mother safe. When she angered the bosses, the overseer decided it was time for a beating. Isaac heard her screaming as the whip tore at her back and was suddenly faced with the biggest decision of his young life. Should he stay out of it? Or save her? The choice was simple. Isaac picked up a heavy iron poker, walked up behind the overseer, and caved in the back of his head. Nobody messed with his mom.After the overseer woke up with a splitting headache, Isaac received twice the beating his mother would have gotten. But Isaac survived and went on to live a happy, productive life. After the Civil War, Isaac earned a B.A., D.D., and LL.D. and became a pastor, teacher, and the president of Paul Quinn College in Waco, Texas.
No comments:
Post a Comment