Hands of a Slave

These are the hands of a slave. These are the hands of Mr. Henry Brooks of Georgia (this photo was taken in 1941). Mr. Brooks is free now (at the time of this picture) but his hands were not at one point. These hands tell a story. One can only imagine the strained and overworked palms and fingers of Mr. Brooks. These thin, wrinkly hands represent the hardships of slavery, the hours spent on the plantation, resting only when Mr. Brooks was sleeping. It's hard to imagine it this way, but these hands were owned by a white slave owner. A slave-master decided what Henry got to do with his hands, plant crops, pick cotton, cut sugar cane, dig holes, weed land, serve food, etc. Henry Brooks was known as field hands as what most plantation slaves were called. This photo brings a new eye to slavery, one does not see a picture of a slave's hands which is unusual to think about now because their hands are the most important aspect of their body (to slave-owners). A slave wouldn't be able to do much without their hands, nothing at all really. This is a very unique picture and draws attention to the struggles a slave would encounter on a daily basis.