Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall, Illustrated by Hugo Martinez
Reviewed by Kate Tijerina, Alison Vazquez, Genner Veliz, Anna Marie Young
Review:
Dr. Rebecca Hall’s Wake: The Hidden History of Women-led Slave Revolts charts a new course to unlocking the untold stories of women in US history and the slave revolts. Dr. Hall portrays the barriers and difficulties of uncovering the truth about United States history and the work that goes into historical research. She attempts to answer a rather puzzling and elusive question that constantly remains unanswered in our past: where are the female warriors? For centuries, history has repeatedly told us that there never has been such a thing – that any meaningful change or examples of resilience have occurred by men and men alone. Even today, though we are willing to recognize the more damning aspects of our world’s history, there remains a strong amount of resistance when it comes to admitting the pivotal roles women, in particular Black women, played throughout the course of history. Hall’s Wake aims to correct that injustice by underlining these valiant women’s roles during one of the most disturbing historical periods: the age of slavery.
This graphic novel follows the research of Dr. Rebecca Hall as she goes on a journey to uncover the stories of Black women leaders during the transatlantic slave trade. Finding historical records of women-led slave revolts proves to be harder than expected, through historical and modern barriers placed on the documents that may hold this information. Dr. Hall focuses on three major events in history with the help of historical imagination to fill in the gaps since records dismissed the perspective of enslaved women. Analyzing the 1712 New York slave revolt, the 1708 uprising in New York, and the women-led revolts on slave ships, Dr. Hall sheds light on the stories of women warriors who resisted the acts of violence that were being imposed on them and their communities. The images of the slave ships, the women and men involved, and the revolts themselves are overflowing with raw emotion in Hugo Martinez’s illustrations. Wake is a combination of memoir, history, and fiction. As a memoir, we get a glimpse into Hall’s personal life and we witness the frequent inequalities she faces as a woman of color.
One of the most haunting elements of Wake is how Dr. Hall weaves the repercussions of slavery into, not just her life, but the very fabric of our society. Dr. Hall argues that we are all living in the “wake” of slavery and as such, evidence of this atrocious event is still interspersed in our histories, personal stories, and everyday interactions. This novel becomes very personal for our author as she details her experience with this concept, which is particularly intriguing in a visual format. The story unfolds in a series of black-and-white comic book-styled panels that constantly jump between the past and the present. This visual creative decision allows the reader to put a face to the story, which in turn makes it all the more stimulating. Rather than reading about the injustices Hall faced as a lawyer and an educator, we see her emotion and frustration in each respective panel. There are even some panels that go into Hall’s own ancestral ties to slavery, which allow Wake to go beyond a mere quest for the truth and essentially transform it into a heartbreaking but memorable tale of vigor and resistance.
Overall, this novel incorporates a broader perspective on the individuals involved in the oppressive system of chattel slavery and how women were leaders in the resistance. Topics like slavery, racism, and sexism are always tough to present, especially when trying to appeal to a younger reader audience. Wake, however, is successfully able to bridge that gap between history and entertainment to present us with an appealing and memorable story. And, in the end, Hall is able to answer that long unanswered question. Where are the women warriors? They are where they have always been, within the veiled margins of history.
Biography:
Rebecca Hall is a scholar, educator, author, and activist, who is the author of the graphic novel, Wake: The Hidden History of Women-led Slave Revolts. After graduating from Berkeley Law, Dr. Hall represented low-income tenants and homeless families for eight years. It was during this arduous and frustrating time as an attorney that Hall became fully cognizant of the deeply ingrained sexism and racism that not only seeped into the canals of the justice system, but that also resonated within society itself. Hoping to find some answers to her dilemma, Hall enrolled in the doctorate program of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz and earned her PhD. In the midst of working on her doctorate program, Hall devoted her time to research the deeply rooted matters of racism and sexism that had been established since the founding of the United States. This research led her on a journey to uncover the truth of the untold stories of women-led slave revolts during the transatlantic slave trade and throughout chattel slavery in the United States. However, this journey encountered a lack of historical documents and deliberate blocks from higher institutions, such as from the New York Public Library, the Victoria Tower, House of Parliament in London and Loyd’s of London. Such frustrating attempts to keep her from providing space for female warriors from the past did not derail her plans. As she pushes against many barriers, Dr. Hall is able to collect enough information to communicate and share her discoveries about Black women in history, and turn it into Wake: The Hidden History of Women-led Slave Revolts.
Today, Hall uses her broad knowledge gained from both her law and academic professions to center most of her independent writing on topics like gender, race, and social justice. Furthermore, Hall uses her position as professor in order to instruct others regarding such important topics. She has taught at UC Santa Cruz, Berkeley, and the University of Utah. In addition, Dr. Hall’s work has been supported by numerous grants and fellowships, including the American Association of University Women, The Ford Foundation, The Mellon Foundation, and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Her novels and publications cover a wide array of topics including the history of race, gender, law, and resistance. She has also written articles on climate justice and intersectional feminist theory. Dr. Hall continues to use her perseverance in bringing attention to such topics by means of her voice, either by spoken word or by writing, on behalf of those who history has tried to erase.
Instructional Resources:
Guide to Using Graphic Novels to Teach Difficult Subjects: Web article that highlights the benefits of using graphic novels in the classroom, and also underlines how it can ease tackling more mature themes, like trauma and segregation. Near the end of the article, there are recommendations for various graphic novels based on grade level and level of engagement.
Wake - an interview with author Dr. Rebecca Hall: A fifteen minute interview by Power of Women where author Rebecca Hall discusses why the topics and stories tackled in Wake are important in raising awareness of how history is frequently obscured for the benefit of a select few.
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts with Dr. Rebecca Hall: A one hour interview with author Rebecca Hall by the Park City Library at Dixie State University Utah. Discusses the developmental history of Wake, as well as the academic and personal journey of Hall.
Graphic Novels in the Classroom: A Teacher Roundtable | Cult of Pedagogy: A roundtable-like discussion between four teachers where they each share their individual, positive classroom experiences after introducing graphic novels into their curriculum. Each teacher also recommends their own personal favorites, which range from memoirs to classic novel adaptations.
Stories Defined and Told by Women | Facing History & Ourselves: An article that discusses the importance of storytelling and how it’s a tool to empower women’s narratives. This article is relevant to understanding the necessity of having women stories be told, uncovered and defined by women. It goes hand in hand with the theme of providing voice to those who have been historically silenced.
Black Women, a History of Creating Our Own Spaces - BWJP: A detailed yet brief overview highlighting the manner in which African American women have historically needed to create their own space because their experiences and identities have been diminished and marginalized. The ongoing fight against racism and sexism that is brought up in Wake, is analyzed in more detail in this article.
How to Read Wake: A Guide to Understanding Graphic Narratives: A sample lesson plan for teachers that goes over some of the techniques and procedures they can use to better understand the teaching of graphic novels like Wake. Additional resources, such as PowerPoint presentations are also provided.
Using Comics and Graphic Novels to Support Literacy | Edutopia: Short read that stresses the accessible and approachable nature of graphic novels, and how they can be used to promote literacy and analysis skills in the classroom. Recommends a wide variety of graphic novels towards the end of the article.
How To Read Wake: This PowerPoint presentation provides guidance for educators on how Wake can be included into the classroom. It also further prepares educators on how to teach graphic narratives.
Instructional Activity:
Preview:
California Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3
Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or
drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and
developed).
Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of
where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its
overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1.c
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a
hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions;
and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such
that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and
the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of
formal and informal tasks.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights
gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3
Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with
textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.5
Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs,
and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self- generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize
multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.8
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced
searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task,
purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the ow of ideas,
avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.9
Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Resources and Preparation:
Instructional Plan:
Assign Wake as an independent reading assignment.
After completing the graphic novel, dedicate one class session for analysis and interpretation with the use of the supplementary handout.
Break up students into groups of five or six (accommodate if necessary) and assign one of the images to each individual group (i.e. group one gets image one, group two image three, etc.).
Allow students around 20-25 minutes to discuss ideas and complete the handout provided.
Once every group has finished, encourage groups to share their ideas in an open class discussion.
Bibliography
But Some of Us are Brave: The Works of Rebecca Hall JD, PhD. Simon & Shuster, 1 June 2021,
https://rebhallphd.org/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
Hall, Rebecca. "Wake the Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts." But Some of Us are Brave:
The Work of Rebecca Hall, JD PhD. https://rebhallphd.org/. Accessed on 12 Dec. 2024.
Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, 2022,
https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/people/rebecca-hall. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
Herndon, Jaime. “Write Like a Mother: Dr. Rebecca Hall.” Fiction Advocate, 7 Sep. 2021,
https://www.fictionadvocate.com/2021/09/07/write-like-a-mother-dr-rebecca-hall/.
Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
Norman, Mariam H. “For Rebecca Hall, History is Personal.” The Harvard Crimson, 23 March 2023, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/3/23/rebecca-hall/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.
