In her newest book, inspired by a rough cotton bag and the embroidered words upon it, Dr. Tiya Miles traces the lives of three generations of Black women from slavery to a life of uncertain freedom.
Renowned historian Dr. Tiya Miles will join us to share the true story that influenced her newly released non-fiction book All That She Carried, The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake. Ashley's sack currently resides in a display case located at Middleton Place Museum in South Carolina.
The story of the rough cotton sack began in 1850's South Carolina, when an enslaved woman named Rose, gave this sack to her daughter Ashley as a token of her love and hope for Ashley's survival. Not long afterwards, nine-year-old Ashley was sold and separated from her mother. Many years later, Ashley's granddaughter Ruth embroidered the sack as a way of summarizing the family's history.
Dr. Miles will introduce her book and share the story of how she uncovered the history of Rose's, Ashley's, and Ruth's lives. She will reveal the contents of Ashley's sack and the significance and meaning of what it held. Dr. Miles is currently a Professor of History and Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at Harvard University.
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