This is one of those incredible stories that reaches across generations, a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit. It’s about Christina Levant Platt, my great-grandmother, and her Legacy of Resilience. Born into the brutal reality of slavery, her life unfolded against unimaginable odds, yet she forged a path defined by courage, faith, and an unwavering belief in the power of education. Even at 100 years old, she could still be found tending her garden, a symbol of the strength she cultivated throughout her extraordinary life.
A Secret Light in Darkness
Christina’s earliest memories were shaped by cotton fields and the constant threat of the overseer on horseback – a terrifying symbol, like predatory animals stalking their prey. In a time when reading and writing were forbidden for enslaved people, punishable by violence, a secret gift changed her destiny. The wife of the man who claimed ownership over her taught Christina, in secret, how to read and write. This dangerous act of defiance opened the world to her, allowing her to read the Bible for herself and planting the seeds of knowledge that would define her Legacy of Resilience.
As a child, she carried water to others laboring under the hot sun. She also served as a lookout, watching for the flick of the overseer’s horse’s tail – a signal that danger was near. When she saw it, she’d warn those praying in secret to quickly return to work before being discovered. She witnessed horrors no child should see, including the gruesome death of a man during the Civil War’s Battle of Fort Sumter.
Freedom Was Not Enough
But Christina refused to surrender to despair. She grew into a woman of deep faith and unbreakable will. After emancipation, she married John C. Platt, a man from the Santee Tribe, and they began building a life in freedom. Yet, for Christina, simply being free wasn’t enough. She knew that true liberation required knowledge.
Education became her driving passion – not for herself, but for her children. She bore eleven children (losing two) and poured everything into raising them. In an act almost unheard of for a Black woman of her time, she sent her four sons to college in Boston. Her Legacy of Resilience was being passed down. One son became one of the first Black attorneys in the United States – a monumental achievement born from a mother’s fierce determination.
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Planting Seeds for Generations
Seeking a better life away from the lingering hatred of the South, Christina and her husband moved their family north, becoming the first Black family to settle in Medfield, Massachusetts. She was determined her children would have opportunities she never did.
Christina lived to be 101, passing away in 1944. Though I never met her, her strength echoes through our family. She often said, “I put prayers on my children’s children’s heads,” and I believe those prayers sustain us still. Thinking of her life, her struggles, puts my own challenges into perspective.
She wasn’t just a survivor; she was a builder, a protector. Her Legacy of Resilience is woven into our family’s fabric. Her story, though just one among millions, is precious. It teaches us that even in the harshest conditions, faith and determination can create a future that blossoms for generations.
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