WHAT DID WE DO?

About the Book

From across the dark waters of Africa to the Carolina cotton fields, true stories of what life was like for Dare County and Hyde County African American communities during the 1800s persist to the present day. In a collection of historical tales, Yolanda Collins Wilson shares insight into the lives of the heroic men and women who came to America and were sold into enslavement. As she reveals their struggles as the slaves attempted to find humanity and eventually made their way to Roanoke Island, North Carolina, to become a part of the freemen’s colony, Wilson shines a light on the lives of Africa’s kings and queens who were kidnapped into slavery, the hardships and triumphs of two African slaves that found their way to Roanoke Island, the two young girls who lost their lives to a hate crime without an arrest, a community that fought back against the Klu Klux Klan, and much more. What Did We Do? shares true stories that highlight the voices of the African American people as they were enslaved in America and became embroiled in a fierce battle for their freedom.

About the Author

Yolanda Collins Wilson lived through many of the hardships and triumphs of the African American community in Dare County. Helped by documentation and research conducted by her mother, Dellerva Wise Collins, prior to her death in 2005, Wilson shares her first book, What Did We Do? with the hope it will be passed down through the generations to preserve history.