“Delacroix” is a short story about a young slave girl who runs away from the plantation one night with a newborn infant. Thinking her infant stillborn, the mistress of the house is relieved and the black midwife hands the bundle to the young girl, with explicit instructions to “run”. This story intertwines with the modern day story of a descendant tracing the history of her maternal family name to decide whether she will keep it or take her soon-to-be husband’s name. This work is inspired by research on Daughters of the Cross, a group of nuns who traveled from France to Shreveport to open a school, and vivid descriptions they left in letters about the region.
