[BY:Demeccio Caston] My name is Cletus Ohama, I kept my last name but they gave me my first name. My original first my Jahame. I am from the western part of African. I have a wife and three children, one boy and two girls. My wife name is Jamakea Ohama. My son name is Jamon he I 16 years old. I also have two daughters named Ja’kela and Jam’ ka. We were forced to come to america by some real light skin people, on a ship.

It was terrible on the ship, lots of people died on the ship. Including my youngest daughter Ja'kela. My wife was crushed by the lost of Ja’kela, so she jumped over board. The ship stopped then I knew we were here. Once we got off the ship they lined us up. We were sold one by one. That was the last day I saw my family. Once I got to the plantation I ask some one that was there before me “What is this place and where am I “. He said “the plantation in the southern colonies son “. I knew what I was now a slave.

I work in the field every day. I learned how to read and write on the plantation. Each day was tiresome. We ate what we could grow. Even though I learned to read and write, we weren’t allowed to read or write. As each day passed I wondered what life was like outside the plantation? Soon I would find out. I met my new wife on the plantation, she was a house worker her name is Monesa . We planed to escape the slavery life. We made a map with our cloths. The map would take us to Philadelphia. We didn’t know what year it was, because our masters would tell us. One day I tried to leave but, I got caught. I was whip on my back 27 times leaving horrible scars on my back.

We were determined to escape slavery, so I tried a second. This time my wife came with me, and we made it. Day after day and night after night we traveled. We had to go under ground because our master was searching for us. We weren’t the only one underground. I ask another “What is this place called”. He said “the underground railroad”. It took us to a house in Philadelphia. My wife thought we were back at the plantation but, we weren’t. We had a good life after we escaped. I finally believed that we were now home.