Threads: Piecing Together the Underground Railroad

When she was growing up, author/illustrator Bonita Johnson de Matteis recalls that the patches, rags and leftover fabrics were called "goods" by her Grandmother. Raised by her Gramma, Bonita and her siblings were like these lost pieces of fabric...a unique blend of threads sewn into a heroic family legacy of freed slaves and courageous Europeans.

"My Gramma stitched together a place for each of us in the quilt of family, home, community and, most importantly, our sense of self esteem and purpose," says Bonita. "She was born in Keppel Township in 1895 and grew up in Owen Sound. My understanding of early Owen Sound Black history comes from her stories." The legacy of Gramma Susan (Earls) Johnson Wilson is noted by "her acts of kindness and compassion to friends and strangers alike, regardless of race or creed. She fed and clothed the needy, but never made them feel less because of their want." (quoted from Slavery to Freedom by Stephanie McMullen and Susan Washington)