Mumbet's Declaration of Independence

Narrated by Susie Berneis against a twangy soundtrack, this iconographic-animated adaptation of author Gretchen Woelfle and illustrator Alix Delinois' 2014 picture book employs realistic oil watercolors to tell the story of a slave named Mumbet, who lived in fear on the plantation of Col. John Ashley of Berkshire County, MA. Mumbet laments her lack of freedom (gazing longingly at a river) and is tormented by Mrs. Ashley (Mumbet has a nasty wound from a poker on her arm that doesn't heal well). Mumbet sees a good opportunity for change when she manages to attend a political meeting and hears the words of lawyer Theodore Sedgewick, who is talked into helping Mumbet gain her autonomy. A bonus author's note on the real-life Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman and her 1781 court case underscore the fact that this was an important step in the burgeoning Abolitionist movement. Presented with read-along subtitles, this is recommended. Aud: E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)