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Freedom in Congo Square
Last updated Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Date of Publication: 2016
ISBN: 1499801033
Grade Level: 2nd (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Mar. 2022
Synopsis:
As enslaved people relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when at least for half a day they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. Here they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance, and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles, and their oppression. This story chronicles enslaved persons' duties each day, from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday, and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square. This book includes a forward from Freddi Williams Evans (freddievans.com), a historian and Congo Square expert, as well as a glossary of terms with pronunciations and definitions.
| Discussion topics for before reading: |
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What does freedom mean to you?
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What do you think happens in Congo Square?
Vocabulary:
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Wean - To accustom (a child) to food other than a mother's milk
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Ardent - Having or showing strong feelings such as passion, loyalty, or desire.
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Plantation - A large farm or estate used for growing rubber, cotton, or other crops to sell.
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Percale- A tightly woven cotton fabric used to make bed linens.
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Steward - One who manages or supervises money belonging to another or others.
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| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
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Do you think the enslaved people are looking forward to going to Congo Square? Why or why not?
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How do the enslaved people feel when they are in Congo Square?
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| Special activities: |
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We have a special video to share at our March 12, 2022 reading clubs! Volunteers for those clubs will receive the link to that YouTube video in their "Final Reminder..." email on Friday, March 11, 2022, along with directions on how to share a YouTube video on Zoom.
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The children can write poems about what a day of being enslaved is like and how it is different from being free.
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*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
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