I am just Jes: One Man’s Journey from Slave to Freedman

Slavers took him from his African home when he was just four years old. He and a group of adults were loaded onto a ship and herded into the hold. The frightened people had no idea they would all be sold as slaves when the ship arrived at its Caribbean destination.

There was no ventilation and nowhere to dispose of human waste for those trapped in the hold. Because he was the only child the slavers collected in this sweep, the captain began to feel sorry for him. Eventually he moved the boy to the deck, where he could at least get away from the crowd and the horrific smell.

During his time on deck, the crew treated the child badly, making the captain angry. Demanding that the crew treat the child with some respect and care, the captain would yell in his strange voice, “Dammit! Jes leave de kid alone.”

As he grew older, the boy remembered the captain’s kindness and one of the words he’d said — Jes.

Now, at 18 years of age, he is just Jes.