Mercer who slaves name Virginia Pryor is taken to New York by her owner with two of her three children. Her third child is kept at home so that she would comply to his demands. Mercer travels to Philadelphia and arrives at a hotel, through the help of the porters she is put in touch with people who helped her achieve freedom. She chooses to
gain freedom for herself and her two children, knowing this does not include her youngest son Bennie. The Price of a Child in this novel is freedom. Virginia Pryor changes her name to Mercy Gray, calls herself Mercer. After having to hide at different houses and locations and being separated from her children she meets Prudence and she becomes involved with the New England Anti-Slavery Movement. Mercer decides to go on a New England tour and speaks to abolitionists about her experiences of being a slave. Her fist meeting was in Massachusetts at a Methodist Church were she shares her stories of beatings and life of a slave. This illustration I drew shows Mercer at her fist stop in Massachusetts, sharing her stories and the stories of real truths about the effects of slavery on all people.Mercer in this picture is holding hands with Prudence Randall, the white women who had held her hand on the cars, carriages, etc. The reason I chose to draw this picture is because I felt this was a very brave and courageous time in the story for Mercer and also me. She was a black lady at a Methodist church giving her accounts of slavery to a bunch of white people. This must have took a lot to do, especially at this time. Mercer was extremely nervous and afraid, and thoughts were entering her mind that she was still a white man’s property. She begins to get more and more comfortable, when she finds out she is getting her message across. Her feelings of nervousness are switched to a sense of more peace and purpose.