‘Extraordinary’ Wilson honored

Thursday, November 19, 2009

By RYAN LEACH

Staff Writer

MILFORD – The sounds of gospel music and the words of speakers from all walks of life echoed throughout Milford Town Hall as the town celebrated the 150th anniversary of the publication of Harriet Wilson’s groundbreaking novel “Our Nig.”

The event featured a keynote address by actress and author Victoria Rowell, who spoke about Wilson’s life, as well as Rowell’s own life growing up in foster care.

Rowell, who grew up in Maine, is an 11-time NAACP Image Award winner and is a three-time Daytime Emmy Award nominee for her work on the CBS daytime drama “The Young and The Restless.”

“We were so glad to have Victoria speak today,” said JerriAnne Boggis, director of the Harriet Wilson Project. “She embodies everything that Harriet Wilson stood for.”

“Harriet Wilson had extraordinary fortitude,” said Rowell. “In the face of tragedy, she was triumphant.”

Wilson, born in Milford, was the daughter of a black father and an Irish-American mother. At 5, she was abandoned by her mother and forced into a life as an indentured servant. Her autobiographical book “Our Nig: or Sketches from the Life Of A Free Black” was published in 1859 and is considered the first novel published by an African-American.

Shortly after its publishing, the novel fell into obscurity, but in 1982, Harvard Professor Henry Lewis Gates rediscovered the book and brought it back into the national spotlight.

“The story of Harriet Wilson and this book shows the strength of a historic woman and her legacy is something that should be taught in our schools,” said Rowell to a crowd of more than 100 people.

The daylong event began with a bus tour that made stops at sites around Milford that are featured in the novel. The ceremony included musical performance by Julia Leonard and the vocal group Rock My Soul. The group, based out of Maine, livened up the crowd with renditions of gospel classics such as “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” and “I’ll Fly Away.”

“Overall, this was an amazing day which once again put the spotlight on an amazing woman,” said Boggis.

Boggis established the Harriet Wilson Project in 2002 and the group has held a multitude of events to raise awareness of Wilson’s life. The group also helped raise money for a statue of Wilson holding her son, which is now in a Milford park.

During her speech, Rowell read from her book “The Women Who Raised Me.”

The book, a New York Times best-seller, chronicles Rowell’s life. She is the daughter of a black man and a white woman, and at the time of her birth, laws in the state forced Rowell to grow up in foster care.

Rowell spoke about her experiences, but also made sure to bridge the gap between her life and that of Wilson’s, who she said was an inspiration for her.

“She was a Jill of all trades, who was an author, as well as a noted seamstress,” said Rowell.

Rowell relished a chance to return to New England to speak and sign copies of her book.

“Although I grew up in Maine, I also consider New Hampshire my home because it was the state in which I learned many things while growing up,” said Rowell.

Rowell and her husband, Radcliffe Bailey, married in Dublin in 2007.

The event also featured civic leaders and speakers from the University of New Hampshire women’s studies department.

For more information on Harriet Wilson, visit www. harrietwilsonproject.org.