Born into slavery, by age eight Mary knew the plantation rules well. “Never stop working” was number one and it didn’t matter what the reason. She never stopped working. Slaves were also not allowed to learn to read or write, so for the time being, she did not learn to read or writer, either. She dreamed of the day she’d be as free as the birds she saw flying over the Union Springs, Alabama plantation she lived on. One day, she would learn to read.

Mary was 15 years old when the Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. She was finally free! But, she couldn’t learn to...