Zoe was born into slavery on the Campbell plantation, in New Bern, North Carolina. She had been sold to the Anderson plantation in Portsmouth, Virginia at age 10, away from her mother, Voni, and her kind and gentle owners.
Before Zoe had been sold, Mammy Voni had told her about about a place called Canada, where no one could whip her, and no one cared about the color of her skin. "When you step onto this land, you are free." she said. She said that they would meet again there, someday...
Zoe was now 13 years old and worked in the cotton fields 6 long days a week, was served 3 cold and horrible meals, and slept in a straw hut on a pile of filthy rags. …
