Norwich — A group of people in a sun-lit room Saturday at Otis Library listened intently as Hartford Poet Laureate Frederick-Douglass Knowles II recited a poem he wrote in honor of Sarah and Mary Harris of Norwich and the legacy of Black students at Prudence Crandall's school in Canterbury:

"Not even a classroom ignitedTeach me like you teach them."

into ember could make me quit.

Ambition burning like the gallant

walls of Prudence Crandall. My

soul sang a prelude to the Blues

etched between the integrated

lines of a notebook announcing

my name as the first African

-descent pupil to approach

Prudence with a spirit letter

from the Principal of Psalms,

Knowles is a Norwich native, author of the collection of poems "BlackRoseCity" and English professor at Three Rivers Community College. He wrote the poem, titled "The Ashes Were Part of the Plan," for the Otis Library's annual Harris Sisters Month.

Sarah and Mary Harris of Norwich "were among the first Black students at Prudence Crandall's Canterbury school; indeed, the root of this experiment in integration was Sarah's request in 1832, which Prudence granted, to take classes at the then all-white academy," according to the library's webpage about events throughout the month.

"The consequences — the withdrawal of the white students; Prudence's establishment of an all-Black female academy in 1833; the violence and harassment that led to the closing of the school the following year; the 1833 passage of Connecticut's 'Black Law' (repealed in 1838), which prohibited out-of-state Black students from attending school in Connecticut without local permission — constitute one of the most significant chapters in American abolitionist history," it continues.

Sarah Harris went on to become an abolitionist and Mary Harris became an educator.

When deciding on what direction to pursue with the poem, Knowles read about how a fire was set at Crandall's school, and he thought about how it didn't stop Crandall, the Harris sisters or the flow of love.

"I focused on that, and I said, OK, the ashes were part of the plan — from destruction comes growth — and so that’s the title of this poem," he said.

Part of the poem says "Daughters of Sankofa reach back to retrieve your heritage" and Knowles explained that "Sankofa" is a word from the culture of Ghana from the Twi language that means to look back and retrieve. It is symbolized by a heron bending her neck backward to an egg on her back, as a sign of never forgetting where you come from.

Knowles also read aloud poetry from a collection, titled "Sinking in Moonlight Alone," that he recently completed and for which he is seeking a publisher. The poems, many centered around his family history, address the power of perseverance and the power of heritage.

The poetry drew applause from audience members, who asked questions and spoke with Knowles during a discussion period after the reading. The event, titled "Heritage Like Harris: A Poetry Reading with Frederick-Douglass Knowles II," was sponsored by The Elsie Brown Fund.

"I just want to thank you for being here," Laura-Lillian Best, a Norwich resident and cellist, told Knowles during the event. "You are our native son."

Elanah Sherman, a library volunteer who with the support of the library founded the Harris Sisters Month, said she wanted to celebrate the memory and legacy of Sarah and Mary Harris. The monthlong series of events, which has been held annually for several years, originally grew from a poetry reading held about 14 years ago at the library that featured former Connecticut Poet Laureate Marilyn Nelson, folk singer Sally Rogers and former Three Rivers professor Edward Derr. Sherman noted that Saturday's event was the first poetry program for Harris Sisters Month since then.

Sherman said that Knowles' "stirring, expressive words amplify and illuminate the experiences of those who have too often been dispossessed and unacknowledged, but who nevertheless often persevere and rise."

A video of the program, which included a sign language interpreter, will appear on the Otis Library's YouTube channel.

k.drelich@theday.com