African Town: Parts 10–11

by Irene Latham, Charles Waters
Told from different perspectives, this novel-in-verse was inspired by the true story of the ship Clotilda, which transported West Africans from Dahomey to Mobile, Alabama, where the slaves emancipated after the Civil War founded their own town.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Parts 1–2, Parts 3–4, Parts 5–6, Parts 7–9, Parts 10–11
40 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. plead
    appeal or request earnestly
    It’s about Africans
    pleading to return to their homeland—how much they could serve
    their people better over there than in America.
  2. garnish
    something added to a dish for flavor or decoration
    I don’t need slaves to be successful.
    They were a garnish at my house of plenty—like caviar
    during appetizers, asparagus during dinner, or thin slices
    of chocolate cake for dessert.
  3. unanimous
    in complete agreement
    As we cast our votes, my heart is sure it will be unanimous.
  4. humble
    cause to be unpretentious
    To be named a leader of this proud group is an honor that humbles me to my bones, and I am certain my life has led to this moment of deep responsibility.
  5. reparation
    something done or paid in expiation of a wrong
    “After giving it much thought, the one word that carries more weight for us as a people than any other is ‘reparations.’”
  6. whittle
    cut small bits or pare shavings from
    His ax slams into the log
    as I pull out my pocketknife and start whittling.
  7. confront
    present somebody with something, usually to criticize
    Confronting him is like being a termite
    in de path of an elephant.
  8. ignorant
    uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
    “You’ve got a lot of
    nerve, you ignorant fool!” I shout.
  9. entitled
    qualified for by right according to law
    Boy, you listen to me, and listen as loud and clear
    as a church bell ringing on Sunday morning—
    you ain’t entitled to a blessed thing!
  10. anoint
    choose by or as if by divine intervention
    “Let us anoint our future property as already being our land,” I say, “and our words will speak it into existence.”
  11. tract
    an extended area of land
    It is a fact: Now we own multiple tracts of land adjacent to each other.
  12. plot
    a small area of ground covered by specific vegetation
    We divide
    de land just like in Africa—a plot for
    each family.
  13. mortar
    plaster with a bond in masonry or for covering a wall
    Kossola cuts
    the logs himself and mortars them with a mixture
    of sand and lime.
  14. squabble
    argue over petty things
    And Kossola
    and I have the children—Aleck and Cudjo, Jr.,
    always squabbling with each other, climbing and falling
    and breaking things.
  15. discipline
    a system of rules of conduct or method of practice
    “They need more discipline,”
    he says. “So they’ll be prepared for the world out there.”
  16. bramble
    any of various rough thorny shrubs or vines
    Sure as de grass grows out of de earth,
    Free George shows up near every day
    around African Town, determined as de sun
    to drop light even through de thickest brambles.
  17. overwhelm
    overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
    I’m overwhelmed with joy.
  18. stupor
    feeling of distress and disbelief when something bad happens
    It’s Abilè̩ who shakes me out of my stupor.
    “Where is the man I married?” she asks.
    “Bring him back, the one who smiles and laughs.
    The one who loves the world.”
  19. foyer
    a large entrance or reception room or area
    It isn’t anything fancy, which
    is part of why I love it. Just a simple white
    clapboard building, with a foyer

    and windows on nearly every wall.
  20. grassroots
    of or involving the common people rather than those in power
    We even join a grassroots
    organization
    to pursue reparations.
  21. plumb
    completely
    She puts a look on that man plumb full of pity.
  22. legislate
    make laws or bills
    I can’t believe these state elections. It’s 1874,
    and you’d think these Republicans have better
    things to do than try to legislate for equality.
  23. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    I head over to African Town,
    then make my voice gentle as Mary’s when she’s trying to
    coax a cat out of a tree.
  24. astride
    with one leg on each side
    From astride my horse I shout, “Who are you going to vote for?”
  25. resolved
    firmly determined
    Captain Tim’s determination to stop
    us from voting only makes us more resolved
    to outwit him.
  26. ballot
    a document listing the alternatives that is used in voting
    We take our time walking home—
    so proud of ourselves for not giving up,
    for letting our actions and our ballots speak.
  27. cacophony
    a loud harsh or strident noise
    The walls vibrate with excitement as a cacophony of “yes” fills the room.
  28. sanctuary
    area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir
    “You may now kiss your bride,” he says,
    finally. That’s when eight-year-old Cudjo, Jr.,
    showers us with kissy noises, so we
    hurry out of de sanctuary.
  29. stifle
    smother or suppress
    I stifle a potential
    sneeze while walking along the grass.
  30. eradicate
    destroy completely, as if down to the roots
    I’d like to set the record straight, eradicate those
    thumpers Captain Tim’s been spewing for years.
  31. provoke
    annoy continually or chronically
    “Your sons provoked them,” I say, because
    I’ve already heard this story from my sons.
  32. resort
    have recourse to
    Some have even resorted to theft.
  33. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
    Punishment for anyone breaking the laws will range from a simple verbal admonishment to a lashing.
  34. infantry
    an army unit consisting of soldiers who fight on foot
    “Let’s go,” I say when Captain Henry Romeyn, former officer of a Colored
    Infantry regiment, asks me to take him to “Little Africa.”
  35. upheaval
    a state of violent disturbance and disorder
    After Abilè̩ puts this white man, Captain Romeyn, in his place, he says to me, “Well, bottom fact, your kingdom is going through a major upheaval—you do know there are others from Dahomey here in America, don’t you?”
  36. detain
    deprive of freedom; take into confinement
    I never imagined we’d be celebrating a new
    year, a new decade, with one child dead
    and another detained in the county jail
    on charges of manslaughter.
  37. lapse
    pass into a specified state or condition
    When we lapse into Yorùbá talk, the children laugh at our strange words.
  38. appeal
    earnest or urgent request
    i will reach out to people in good standing
    in mobile to hopefully sign an appeal
    for governor johnson to have you pardoned
  39. petition
    a formal request that something be submitted to an authority
    “Petition for the Pardon of Cudjo Lewis, Jr.” are the words
    emblazoned at the top of the legal document handed me by
    the lawyer Edward M. Robinson.
  40. gait
    a person's manner of walking
    Even from my place under the waves, I recognize the strong
    shoulders and easy gait of the one they call Kossola.
Created on Sun Nov 26 10:03:48 EST 2023 (updated Sun Nov 26 17:15:30 EST 2023)

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