Today I went to a lecture about the Underground Railroad as part of our college's Black History Month celebration. Peggy Overly and Jerry Gore were the speakers. Oh, Jerry Gore's voice was soooo familiar to me. Their presentation was amazing, very interactive, full of spirituals (Peggy) and emotional stories (Jerry). At one point, members of the audience were brought to the front of the stage and had to lie down as if they were slaves on a slave ship and two white men (including our college's campus minister) laid chains across them. It was very powerful. Afterward, Jerry Gore approached our president and said, "Is Stuart Sprague's daughter still here?" I said, "Yes!" He said, "I thought that was you!" And we had a few moments together, both of us trying to explain the relationship between Jerry and Dad to the president. Peggy was also so kind about Dad. I was so thankful to have gone, to spend that hour reflecting on dad and slavery and dad's work and the horrors of inequality.
In a couple of my lectures I include photos of Dad. That always makes me happy.
