Turner Family Stories: From Enslavement in Virginia to Freedom in VermontThe Most Costly Journey: Stories of Migrant Farmworkers in Vermont, Drawn by New England Cartoonists

Abstract

These slim but remarkable two books result from collaborations between the Vermont Folklife Center and its surrounding community and partners. Andy Kolovos, who has a hand in both publications, is himself a huge fan of comics. It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Kolovos that the concept of joining community folklife work with his favorite expressive medium was a project close to heart. But these two works are hardly indulgent “pet projects.” Rather, by using talented comic artists to bring to life and make visible the stories of marginalized Vermonters—African Americans and Hispanic farm workers—these two books should have broad appeal.Turner Family Stories: From Enslavement in Virginia to Freedom in Vermont gives new life through comic illustration to the stories narrated by Daisy Turner and collected by folklorist Jane Beck. The illustrations of talented cartoonists Marek Bennett, Francis Bordeleau, Joel Christian Gill, Lillie Harris, and Ezra Veitch make more vivid Turner's powerful experiences, first as an enslaved girl and later moving through a highly racialized society.We first encounter Turner in Veitch's super-realistic drawings, as two young boys attracted at first by her cool vintage car fall under her storytelling spell. Choosing Veitch to illustrate this first section was wise because his naturalistic drawings remind readers that she was indeed a real woman in a relatable setting. Veitch's version of Turner returns again and again to the action of the four stories that she tells the boys, as a kind of narrator in the style of Thornton Wilder's Our Town.The first story Turner shares with the boys is about her father Alec Turner and his heroic journey from enslaved person to educated free man. I found the childlike drawings by Marek Bennett less suited to the gloomy action taking place at the end of the Civil War, including maimed soldiers and starving refugees from the South. In this instance, the comic style seemed almost to trivialize the serious subject matter, though I am certain that was not the intention.In “Strongest Man in Town,” Gill's rendering of Turner's story about her father's legendary feats of strength and admirable work ethic echoes American folk heroes such as Paul Bunyan and John Henry. Why shouldn't the story of Alec Turner be included with pride in the stories we tell about inspirational figures in US history?In “Daisy's Premonition,” the reader discovers that Turner is also endowed with special qualities. Her psychic connection to her family summons her to return to Vermont just in time to rescue her mother who had been lost in a snowstorm. Turner clearly has a gift for telling captivating tales, and these stories would be engaging additions for students in any folklore course.No less miraculous is the next story, “I Am Vindicated,” which relates how Daisy, as a young Black woman, was able to sue the white married man who led her on and then tried to disparage her character. “The case was historic. Never before in a Massachusetts court ‘had a colored woman filed suit against a white man for breach of promise’” (p. 91). These are stories to inspire all Vermonters and all Americans: everyday people, like Turner and her family, who overcame extraordinary obstacles to make a better life.Similarly, the search for a better life figures prominently in The Most Costly Journey: Stories of Migrant Farmworkers in Vermont, Drawn by New England Cartoonists, which shares the firsthand experiences of Hispanic farm workers drawn to jobs in the United States that enable them to send money home to their families. Some relay their harrowing experiences crossing the border, like “It's Worth It,” the story of Gregorio (all names are pseudonyms to protect the storytellers). Underscoring the tension and stark fear are the simple black-and-white drawings by Kevin Kite depicting Gregorio and his uncle being abandoned in the desert when the guide who brought them decides to head back.Other migrant farmworkers’ stories focus more on their conditions once in Vermont. For instance, the story of Carlos, “Far from My Family,” shares his struggle with depression and alcohol. Carlos stays in Vermont to make money for his family in Mexico, but his isolation worsens his alcoholism and costs him three jobs.Because Vermont is almost as far away from the border with Mexico as one can get within the United States, the overwhelming feeling that these stories reveal is the sense of isolation that can plague Mexican workers in Vermont. Many of them do not speak English well (most of the accounts are transcribed and translated), and they often do not have the protections accorded those with legal status. This situation makes these workers vulnerable to exploitation and random raids from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities.In “Now That I Have My License,” several different migrants share their struggles of life without a car in Vermont. For instance, Olivia resolves to get a driver's license after almost having to deliver her baby while waiting for her husband to get off work and take her to the hospital. Her struggle to get both a license and an old car frees her from being stuck in a farm trailer all day, enabling her to exercise more autonomy over her situation and send her children to school. Her story leaves a lasting impression because the solution seems so simple, yet also runs the risk of giving police a reason to pull her over and deport her, which would remove her from her family.Because The Most Costly Journey strips away politics and rhetoric, it allows migrants in their own words to share their hopes and fears in a raw and simple way—safely guised as comics. The result is a powerful and significant collection filled with humanity that should move readers, especially those who may engage in immigration debates.Both books include a foreword that provides more details and context on the interview projects, as well as the people behind them. Particularly rich are the additional readings in The Most Costly Journey: a foreword by Julia Alvarez, preface by Julia Grand Doucet, introduction by Stephen R. Bissette, and afterword by Teresa Mares and Andy Kolovos. These essays allow the architects of the project to describe the political, social, and economic climates that created the circumstances now affecting migrant farmworkers in Vermont, while also highlighting the good work being done by the storytellers, staff of the Open Door Clinic, El Viaje project, cartoonists, University of Vermont, and Vermont Folklife Center. Both Turner Family Stories and The Most Costly Journey are stellar examples of creative, collaborative public folklore work that could inspire similar projects in countless communities and make lasting impacts.