Tiodora’s Letters: An Enslaved Woman’s Fight for Family and Freedom

The aftermath of one woman’s real-life quest for freedom is rendered in stark black charcoal in this haunting historical account by D’Salete (Run for It). In 1866 in São Paulo, Tiodora da Cunha Dias is enslaved by the priest Canon Terra. Long separated from her husband, Luís, and son, Inocêncio, Tio calls on the help of Claro, one of the few enslaved people in the city who can write. Claro crafts letters to Luís in Campinas, pleading with him to “scrape together” enough money to buy Tio’s freedom. The journey of one such missive as it passes from hand to hand illuminates the social and political backdrop, including a growing resistance movement. After missing a cattle drover who was scheduled to carry the request to Luís, a young boy named Benê vows to take the letter himself. Along the way, he encounters a violent white boy, people generous with food and wisdom, and Inocêncio, Tio’s son, now serving as an overseer on a coffee plantation—where Benê is captured and held by men with guns. Inocêncio takes pity and helps Benê escape back to Tio. Back matter includes period photos and research notes and references; while some elements of the narrative are fictionalized, Tio and Claro’s core story is true. Simply told but powerful, it’s an evocative work. (Apr.)