The podcast This American Life had the following segment.
In 1865, a formerly enslaved man named Jourdan Anderson received a letter from his former enslaver, asking Jourdan to return to the plantation and work. Actor Laurence Fishburne reads Jourdan’s response.
This letter was performed in New York City at an event for Letters Live, which stages live readings of famous and remarkable letters in front of a live audience.
I love this letter, and re-read it periodically here: https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/to-my-old-master
The composition is straight-up masterful.
I particularly enjoy the reading given by Laurence Fishburne from the “Letters Live” YouTube channel:
That letter is a master class in the technique of the Passive-Aggressive “Fuck You”.
Wow! 😁
I have read excerpts of this letter before, it is a powerful document.