How I Earned My Stripes While Black 

By:Leopold  
 
 
Once upon a time there was a family of slaves that lived on a plantation. 
Their slave owner was a man named John A. Williams and he was evil, nothing 
but it! He raped and beat the women with a smirk on his face. He was so evil 
when my wife was making breakfast for him, she dropped the eggs and then John 
sent her and my two kids to a new slave owner that is where the story begins. 
 
CHAPTER ONE 
 
John and another wealthy white man were sitting at the table talking about 
how John can make $1,000 dollars if he sells my family including my wife and two 
kids. When John heard that door open and that smelly no shower in a week, 
ripped clothes, free labor sweat, he leaped from his seat and said “nasty stuff (that 
no one should say) “What do you think you're doing not picking cotton on the 
field!” he said. I stood there not knowing what to say. 
 
The other white man said “cat got your tongue stupid disgrace?” John and the 
wealthy white man laughed. John forgot all about me saying “refill my cup of 
whiskey!” All I can think about in my head is how sick he was from the day I was 
born on this Plantation most likely till the day I die. There are so many people on 
this Plantation who tried to escape but they just ended up dying by him. Couldn't 
take him to court or anything, all because he's a white man. White women don't 
have as many privileges as white men but they still have their privileges to beat 
and just totally ignore black people. White people just think we are just 
good-for-nothing strays.  
 
 
 
Once I refilled his cup of whiskey he said “scram! and don't come back till 
nightfall so you can work in the cold and those coyotes out there could Nip ya, 
you disgrace to society” pointing to the far away field. I said “yes sir” in a soft 
voice wanting to cut his throat with the butter knife that he was using to butter 
up his toast that he took a bite of. He said “tell your wife and kids to get over 
here!” So I went back to the cotton field and told them to go but I already knew 
what was about to go on after they went to the kitchen. 
 
 
I bawled my eyes out knowing how I would have to be alone the rest of my 
life. But then the thought of me escaping grew bigger so I waited until nightfall 
and snuck into John’s bedroom. Him and his wife were sleeping very softly, I said 
in my head “Now who is the disgrace?” With a smirk I grabbed John’s shotgun 
and fired five bullets . Blood was everywhere, then I made a run for it and wrote a 
fake ID that I am a free man then I got and rode John’s horse into town. I rode 
far wearing all black so nobody could see my skin color to question me. 
 
So I set off and the good thing was when my family went to the kitchen 
earlier, I hid near the door listening and now know that rotten white man’s 
address. But before I rode any further I made a camp ground in the wilderness to 
stay the night. First thing in the morning I climbed up my horse and kept riding 
knowing that it will be a heck of a ride. 
 
 

C
​ HAPTER TWO 

 
First thing in the morning I headed to the gun shop with my black hat tilted 
down near my chin so nobody tries to send me back to slavery