Re: “Threads of life” [Dec. 10, Opinion]:
I wish to thank Opinion columnist Carlton Winfrey for the fascinating and provoking article on Jim Tharpe’s great-great grandmother’s quilts.
What extraordinary synchronicity introduced Winfrey and Tharpe collectively to uncover such comparable household historical past! I used to be gripped by the story of Mollie Barnes and the distinctive parallel with Winfrey’s personal great-great-great grandmother, Mary Corder Williams, each former enslaved ladies from Tennessee. I used to be additional moved by the story of Winfrey and Tharpe’s shared journey dwelling.
Mollie’s quilts are artistry, story and dwelling historical past. Like others, I’m so grateful her household took care to maintain them collectively and preserved all this time. Ever a lover of vintage quilts, I’ve by no means skilled the resonance and significance of a group like this and envy Winfrey’s alternative to have seen them. It’s unlucky some historians select to doubt the legitimacy of oral historical past and dispute the existence of Underground Railroad quilts, of which at the very least a number of of Mollie’s could have been.
I actually hope Tharpe realizes his want (and ours) that the quilts be stored collectively, treasured, displayed and shared throughout the nation, with possibly even an exhibit in Seattle sooner or later.
Lisa deFaria, Poulsbo
Source link
