Synopsis

A collection of songs and readings of Phillis Wheatley’s poems. Song lyrics by Dr. Amanda Kemp, music by Vanessa Ballard and Deborah Billups.

“On Being Brought from Africa to America” is a poem written by Phillis Wheatley, published in her 1773 poetry collection “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.” The poem describes Wheatley’s experience as a young girl who was enslaved and brought to the American colonies in 1761. As the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry, Wheatley uses this poem to argue that all people, regardless of race, are capable of finding salvation through Christianity. By tapping into the common humanity that lies at the heart of Christian doctrine, Wheatley poses a gentle but powerful challenge to racism in America. —LitCharts