Author John Ketwig shows off Betsy Biesenbach's book

Black History in Roanoke: A Book for Kids

Veteran journalist/author Betsy Biesenbach made a fascinating presentation at the Vinton Library based on her new self-published book "Say My Name: The story of Amanda Jeffers."

Amanda was an enslaved little girl in Roanoke as the Civil War split our nation in 1860 and Betsy has based a children's book--fictionalized, but mostly factual--on Amanda's experiences in an area geographically removed from the war, but heavily laden with slavery.

Betsy chats with one of her book's fans

Betsy had some astonishing facts about slavery in the Valley and the families that owned the land and the 2,300 or so slaves running their farms (one adult male slave could be assigned as much as 200 acres to farm for the white owners). 

This is a book that doesn't make white people look so noble, so don't be surprised if the Roanoke County School Board bans it from its school libraries (in fact, I suggested to Betsy that she seek the ban because it would likely intensify her sales. The people in the crowd laughed, knowingly).

Betsy is crusading at this point to get a statue of Amanda raised in the Raleigh Court area, where she lived (and where Betsy lives). Apparently, the Raleigh Court Library has shown little interest in this story and in enshrining it in Roanoke area lore, as Roanoke did recently with Henrietta Lacks, assigning a sculptor to create a statue of her in Lax Plaza downtown, at some considerable expense.

 Recognizing Black history in the Valley is a good thing--about time--and one that is earning some degree of deserved interest.

Betsy's book, illustrated by her friend Judy Nelson, is available on Amazon for $10. The money earned from sales will go toward making Black history more accessible in the Valley, says Betsy (who is white, by the way).