Black American Stories

Writers Guild of America West Script Registration no. 1508177

The year is 1910, a convoy of six ford model T’s creep slowly towards a huge plantation. The red Macon County, Georgia clay sticks to their tires. The morning sun peers thru the huge pine trees in the distance. They pass underneath a rusted metal sign that reads “Morning Glory plantation.” Weathered and tarnished, another sign reads “Property of Captain Willie Lynch”. Before long, they motor pass an abandoned, fire stained, dilapidated Victorian mansion. Shredded curtains blow in and out of the broken windows. Cannon ball size holes pepper its face. Behind it sits, a very old wooden house adorned with several new additions. 12 black preachers exit their cars and stand at the makeshift door. Inside is Miss Leah 93 year old ex-slave. One of her, many grand children invites them in and rushes over to wake a sleeping 93 year old Miss Leah. She awakes and begins, what will be, to the twelve black preachers, the greatest story never told! “All my life, I saw the plight of us niggers as slaves working on Master Lynches Plantation. When his wife died she left it to his only son, my brother. Master Lynch was the white man who owned this plantation. I killed him, on account of a lot of things, but most of all, because he killed my pappy. But before he died he set a plan in motion, the Willie Lynch plan. Master’s plan was to make the perfect slave, not just enslave the body, they’d done that. He wanted to enslave our minds and it worked just like he predicted. His plan was to make niggers distrust each other so much, that we could never come together in unity.” laments Miss Leah. “Why, even the bible teaches us a house divided can’t stand. Don’t it preacher men? That’s what it said don’t it? You preachers have to help me change things now, in 1910. Otherwise nigger’s in the future are doomed. Unless, you boy’s go out and teach colored people the truth. You ain't got to worry about the KKK, in the future, a nigger’s worst enemy is another nigger. Thomas one of the twelve concludes “This old lady done lost her mind.”
Twelve black Preachers arrive at 93 year old Miss Leah’s house located on the old Willie Lynch plantation. Ms Leah begins her story with life on the plantation in 1823. Her duties are to feed the chickens and help her mother in the big house. She learns to read and write, watching and listening to the Slave master’s daughter being tutored. Her first bible teacher Billy Bob a Slave, was killed when the overseers found out he could read and he had a bible. Afterwards, 9 year old Leah who knew Billy Bob’s hid it, inherits his bible. Months later Marie and Tommy her parents, have twins a boy and a girl. Master Lynch threatens to sell the new born girl, unless Marie keep silent about his sexual advances. Master Lynch calls a pro slavery meeting with as many Slave owners as possible to discuss legislation and teach them a new techniques for handling their slaves. Ease dropping, Leah overhears the plan to manipulate slave’s minds for generations to come by creating distrust, envy and using their differences against them. Leah watches helplessly as Master Lynch’s plan creates havoc among the slave community. Other slaves begin to ostracize Leah and her family because Master Lynch is showing favor to Tommy her father. Her father is happy and brushes off, the other slave’s attitude, instead he dwells on the promise by Master Lynch of a better house and possibly his freedom. Master Lynch gives Tommy a job taking cotton bales to market in Savannah. This takes Tommy away from the plantation for weeks at time.
While Tommy is gone, Master Lynch gets drunk and burst into Marie cabin and rapes her in front of Leah and her other children. Tommy returns and is excited and happy about going to savannah. Marie pleads with him to ask Master Lynch to choose someone else for the job, he refuses. A few weeks later Marie realizes she’s pregnant and tells Leah and Tommy. Once or twice a month Master Lynch sends Tommy away. Each time he has sex with Marie. 9 months later there is horror and mayham when Marie gives birth to a white child. Tommy becomes enraged head up to the big house to confront Master Lynch and is shot dead. Leah vows silently to kill Master Lynch for killing her father. For years he sexually abuses Leah’s mother Marie. When Leah becomes 19 year old, he sets his sights on her. Marie try’s to protect her daughter by sending her away. She instructs her to catch the Underground Railroad and make it up north. Shortly after, Marie leads Leah to a road that will take her to the river, she needs to cross, to make it up north. Scare and alone Leah heads down the dark and lonely road trying to make it to freedom. Master Lynch staggers drunk down the path headed toward Marie’s house. When Marie arrives back at the cabin Master Lynch is waiting for her. In a drunken slur he asks “Where’s Leah”. Marie convinces him she will be back soon. Master Lynch sits down and quickly falls asleep. Leah walks cautiously, in the pitch black of night with only the moon illuminating her path. The goal, find Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad to make it North. Leah is scare and takes off running at the sound of any sound. She finds the river and decides to rest near a big tree until morning. The morning arrives and birds sing, while other creatures actively play in the sun light. Master Lynch awakes and begins to brutally beat Marie questioning her about whereabouts of Leah.
ACT 2
Master Lynch sends a posse of overseers, to find and retrieve Leah. As Leah strolls thru the woods, in the corner of her eyes, she spots the overseers who spots her. She’s now in a run for her life. She runs until she is completely out of breath. They corner Leah on the edge of the river bank. The overseers are determined to have sex with her, they dismount and began closing in on Leah. In desperation she backs up and falls in the river. She can’t swim and she quickly starts drowning. The overseers watch as she struggles and then go’s under. They presume she’s dead. The next morning LEAH’s battered body lies on the bank of the Chattahoochee River, she’s almost naked, coughing up water, daze and disoriented. LEAH walks along the river bank, until she comes upon a clothes line where she borrows a pair of pants and a blouse. When she turns around, the name Calvin Kline is imprinted on the back pocket. She can’t place the smell of hot asphalt. The highway she left on, is now paved and manicured. Leah is afraid and hides when she hears cars, planes and boats zoom by her. Each time she hides lower and lower behind a huge oak tree. A sliver BMW stops near Leah and a white woman in her early forty’s gets out. She dashes into the tree line headed toward Leah. She hikes up her dress and start urinating, then she spots Leah. First she threatens Leah with mase, they talk and she feels compelled to help her. She
perceives Leah is suffering from human trafficking or some sort of abuse. They become friends and Jamie brings Leah, up to date on current events and the state of black people in 2011. Leah go’s to Chicago with Jamie and lives in her penthouse condo. Leah adjusts quickly to living in the condo with Jamie. The Television becomes her teacher expanding her education concerning the current state of black people. Sicken by show after show, scene after scene of black on black crime, unbecoming behavior, black men in drag and black female whoredom. Lean cry’s out to God in anguish for an answer! “Why did God allow the enslavement of black people?” Why did God allow all the pain and suffering of black people? Why did God allow Master Willie Lynches plan to work so well? She wonders about her mother and all the other slaves at morning glory. Flipping through the channels, she stumbles upon a black TV preacher Pastor Jezreel, who answers her questions to God, using his bible. She watches his programs for days over and over, almost non-stop. She is freed by the knowledge he imparts. Pastor Jezreel who resemble her father Tommy, instills a mission in Leah, a mission to warn her family and fellow slaves about the reasons for the punishment and the fix, to get them back right with God. Her problem is she has no clue how to get back home. One day while Jamie is away, Leah is watching TV and falls asleep. She is awakened by Jamie black boyfriend Martin. Sexually turned on, he attempts to have sex with her. After a brief fight, Leah escapes out of the condo, into the heart of downtown Chicago. The bell boy Robert see her run out and senses she’s in trouble, he follows her down the busy Chicago street.
Leah’s takes off running and runs until she doesn't know where she is. She takes refuge in an abandon building and starts crying her heart out. A crack head sees her and start’s approaching her from behind. LEAH turns around just in time to kick him and run. She runs right into the arms of the ROBERT the bellboy. He assures her she’s alright and then uses a broken bottle to fend off the crack head.
Robert persuades Leah to come home with him, where he lives with his mother, until Jamie comes back in town. She relaxes when she finds out who Robert’s Pastor is. He’s the same one she’s been watching on TV. Robert’s church is embroidered in a civil trial with the Chicago School district concerning school books and Michael Angelo’s rendition of Jesus. Their lawsuit is to remove pictures of Jesus from all school books by proving Jesus was black using the bible. The next day Robert convinces Leah to accompany him, to the court house in downtown Chicago for the trial. Robert and Leah get a good seat in the courtroom and the trial begins. Pastor Jezreel get’s on the stand and go’s thru the bible. He makes a convincing case concerning, black’s in the bible. The Judge rule in favor of Robert’s Church, and awards the church 10 million dollars and orders the removal of all pictures of Jesus from all of school books in the Chicago School Board district. The verdict has enflamed some and delighted others outside the court house. While leaving, Leah is shot by an sniper aiming for Pastor Jezreel. Leah falls to the ground and Robert’s cuddling her in his arms crying uncontrollably as mayhem continues around him.
Leah awakes to screams and shouts of praise in the bed of her mother. “Oh thank the good Lord, thank you! Lord I thank you!, for bringing my Leah back to me!” Marie extols “The good Lord done gave me back my baby! Praise you Lord, it’s like you’ve been dead for almost a week.” Leah hold her head, shes dizzy after a few moments she gains her composer. Leah realizes God has answered her prayer, she’s back home. She explains to her mother everything that’s happen and everything she’s learned. After a couple weeks Leah calls a secret Saturday meeting with all the slaves. She reads from Billy Bob’s bible and teaches them what she knows. “Listen”, “Listen”! She tells them, “You are the chosen people of God.” They listen and look up at the heavens in amazement.
When Miss Leah returns to the present(1910), the twelve men, sit stunned and speechless. They can’t move. Miss LEAH starts laughing. “The hardest part was making it until now, they had to smuggle me from plantation to plantation all over the south to keep Master LYNCH from finding me and killing me. Lord preserved life. Thank God! Ya’ll come back one day and I’ll tell you that story.”