Aunt Bethany Short Essay

Shanae Barnes

Dr. Elaine Sykes

English Comp 102

December 2, 2015

Short Essay

Bethany Veney

        (Collected Black Woman’s Narrative) is a book that has stories of known respected women who have endured countless hardships, and challenges. One story in particular is a story about a slave woman named, Aunt Betty but everyone knows her as Bethany Veney. Aunt Betty was born in 1813, in Shenandoah, Virginia. Aunt Betty was born into slavery with her mom and her four siblings. However, she didn’t know anything about her father. Aunt Betty life was quite uneventful, she had a modest yet fearless personality which caused her to be such a well-known and respected slave. Aunt Betty didn’t experience the harsh reality of slavery like any other slave. However, that doesn’t take away the tragic adventures she compelled and the heart-wrenching events that took place. For years the ability for women to stand strong and to be respected as black women should is quite often undermined but Aunt Betty is one of many to prove that black women can rise to any occasion under any circumstance.

        Aunt Betty showed a lot of strength; her ability to trust and her strong religious belief of Christianity. During her ventures she encountered a few life challenges which she overcame. One of a few challenges were, being separated from her children and at one point she and her son were sold for only $775.00 dollars. Although Aunt Betty wasn’t brutally treated like the others her master did have a temper and was often verbally abusive towards her. Her Mistress wasn’t too fond of slavery and sympathized and empathized with Aunt Betty, but there was not anything that she could do to end it other than to treat Aunt Betty with dignity and to be kind to her. My impression of Bethany Veney is that she was a very outstanding black woman with such courage and is inspiring because she always stood for what she believed in and she never let anything hinder her spirits and her positive outlook on things.  Despite the fact that the children she gave birth to had been taken away from her, she didn’t allow it bring her down neither did she seek retaliation. She remained strong through the whole process, another reason she inspired me was because she had been sold twice the first time she was put on auction was after her first owner had died. The second time she was placed on the auction block she had asked to be sold with her child because she did not like her master because of his harsh and inhumane behavior towards her. It was rare for any slave to arrange their own sale, but not for Aunt Betty she was rare and that was inspiring.

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