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Kit Contents

• About The Rains


• Meet Dr. Sulayman Clark, Author
• Educator Brief
• Teacher Testimonials
• Author Outreach

Supplemental Materials
• “Bringing History to Life” (Author’s Note to Teachers and Parents)
• Letter of Support from Dr. Arlene Ackerman, Superintendent of
Philadelphia Public Schools

For more information about The Rains, contact:


Laureate House Press
www.sulaymanclark.com
About The Rains
The Rains is a carefully researched historical novel inspired by real
people and actual events. The story is set in antebellum Philadelphia,
when the city was a hotbed for the abolitionist movement and a
major crossroads for the Underground Railroad. It explores the life
and times of a dynamic group of “free persons of color” and white
abolitionists who struggled to end slavery and pursue educational
opportunities in the post-Emancipation era. The story reveals the
trials and triumphs of this inter-racial and inter-faith community of
activists who banded together to promote sweeping social reforms
during a turbulent and transformative period in American history.

It is a lively and uplifting novel that highlights the veritable “battle for the soul of a nation”. It also
discusses causal factors influencing key events of national importance and traces the grinding
evolution of democracy throughout the 19th century. It is a timeless story about a remarkable
group of people bound together by strong ethical principles and the quest for a greater America.

Meet Dr. Sulayman Clark


Sulayman Clark, Ed.D is a native of Philadelphia and graduated from
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. He subsequently earned a master’s
degree from Stanford University and a doctorate degree from Harvard
University. He is a former Teaching Fellow at Harvard and served as the
Director of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Field Placement
Office.

Dr. Clark is an author and educational historian. He was chosen to


catalog and index the William H. Dorsey Collection, a rare collection of
primary source materials including manuscripts scrapbooks, and memorabilia covering the
period, 1840-1913. His recent historical novel entitled, The Rains: Voices for American Liberty, is
based on those archival holdings.

For more information about The Rains, contact:


Laureate House Press
www.sulaymanclark.com
Educator Brief
The Rains by Dr. Sulayman Clark is a novel that
takes the reader on a voyage in a historical time
capsule that stops along the route from slavery
to freedom during the times of the antebellum
South, the free Northern states and during the
time of the Slave Abolitionist Movement. This
novel not only provides accurate historical
accounts of events and placed along the Underground Railroad, but provides academic insight to
students on the specifics of the human condition for slaves, free African Americans and the whites
that helped the Movement. The character traits of some of the main characters such as William Still;
a free African American; and his gift of storytelling about various individuals, who traveled along the
Underground Railroad, are intriguing. One account takes the reader and a husband and wife from
South Carolina through Baltimore to find freedom in Philadelphia. This story is both heart riveting
and emotionally charged. The couple goes to actual places in 19th Century Baltimore that will peak
the interest of students and educators alike. Accounts of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church in
Philadelphia, the Quaker support in Lancaster and the Christiana Uprising all will provide students
with valuable historical data that can be supported by field trips, performing arts activities and
expanded research across the Language Arts, American History and American Literature academic
domains. Additional activities and lessons can be created to enhance the Black History Month
experience as well.

The novel should be considered supplemental curriculum and can be aligned with the state
curriculum for core learning goals and objectives. The newly adopted National and State Standards
adopted by the National Governor’s Association (NGA) and the State Education Chiefs for the
Humanities and Arts strata can also be aligned with the novel. School leadership can anticipate that
inclusion of the National and State goals and objectives will be implemented into the local district
curriculum in the near future. The Rains, as a supplemental text can easily be used to cover curricula
that focus on the historical perspectives of slavery, the Abolitionary Movement, and the Civil War.
Students will be able closely observe and vicariously experience the pain and the elation of the
human experience as a slave. The Rains will facilitate development of compassion for the human
experience and is crucial for all students of diverse cultures and backgrounds. The novel will assist all
readers to expand their repertoire of reading material and will enhance personal character
development as individuals take this trip through the harsh years of slavery and draw from the
character’s strength, perseverance and resiliency in order to meet the hardships and personal
challenges of their own young adult lives.

Superintendents, elected officials and leaders from Ivy League Institutions of higher education have
recommended this reading. The novel will truly enhance the academic experience of students and
should be added to the arsenal of education weaponry required to holistically educate our youth.
The Rains is a “must-read” and should strongly be considered for inclusion in the curriculum.

For more information about The Rains, contact:


Laureate House Press
www.sulaymanclark.com
Teacher Testimonials
“The Rains opens a rare and important vista on our nation's history. Rarely have I
read something that enriched, inspired and informed me with such sheer power and
grace! And anyone looking to understand the roots of black education will be
enormously rewarded by this read!”
John S. Wilson, Executive Director,
Office of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

“The Rains is a bold, riveting and erudite work that is essential reading for every
student and educator in Philadelphia as well as the nation.”
Paul G. Vallas, Superintendent,
Recovery School District of Louisiana

“My students cannot put the novel down. It is the most amazing sight! You can
literally hear a pin drop when they come in and open their books. Fellow teachers have
told me that they constantly hear the students discussing the book in the hallways, the
lunchroom, and their classrooms. I wanted to thank you for this novel. They are not
just reading a story. They are learning about extremely important events in our
nation’s history.”
Kelly Hanlon, Social Studies Teacher
West Philadelphia High School

“The Rains is a captivating story of a courageous generation whose bravery and love
for justice have been marginalized in the American freedom narrative. It is a must read
for high school and post secondary educators and the students with whom they share
intellectual community.”
Dr. Ayesha Imani, Chief Executive Officer,
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School

"Professor Sulayman Clark's book, The Rains, is significant to the growing body of
research pertaining to the Underground Railroad. It is a fascinating story of the
contributions of dedicated and committed African Americans in Philadelphia and their
contributions to the Freedom Network. Although "The Rains" is a fictional account, it
provides vital information for both scholars and the general public."
Charles L. Blockson
Historian
“Sulayman Clark, with his creative writing style and ability to tell a story, keeps the
reader engaged and breathes fresh insight into an important era of American history
and the courageous fight for freedom by Black Americans.”
Dr. Rev. Calvin H. Sydnor, III, Editor,
The Christian Recorder
Additional Testimonials Are Available
For more information about The Rains, contact:
Laureate House Press
www.sulaymanclark.com
Author Outreach
Dr. Sulayman Clark travels the country to speak with Administrators, Students, and
Community groups about his experiences and inspirations for The Rains. Such a visit
would be beneficial to schools and teachers considering the use of The Rains as a
supplemental reading for their courses, students currently reading the book, and book
clubs wishing to discuss in-depth the concepts and ideas put forth in The Rains.

Dr. Clark is also available for book signings at both large book stores and small, local
shops with an interest in sharing this inspirational and emotional novel with their
communities.

If you would like to schedule a visit from Dr. Sulayman Clark, please contact him via the
following information:

Dr. Sulayman Clark


P.O. Box 1475
Westchester, PA 19380
Phone: 610-241-0087

Email: sulaymanclarklit@gmail.com
Web: http://www.therains.org

For more information about The Rains, contact:


Laureate House Press
www.sulaymanclark.com
Bringing History to Life
Author’s Note to Teachers and Parents:

“The use of history is to give value to the present and its moral duty.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Rains is a historical novel that is in every way, inspired by real life persons and
actual events. It is a work of fiction that is nonetheless grounded in extensive historical
research. Thus I owe a significant debt of gratitude to various faculty members,
archivists and administrators at Cheyney University and Harvard University who gave
me generous support and the means to conduct the archival research that under girds
this closely interwoven and fact-based story.

My reasons for writing this novel may be of interest to my general readership and to
parents and teachers in particular. I hope the latter will elect to use this novel as
recommended or supplemental reading for high school and collegiate courses in
American History, African American Studies, American literature and social studies. I
want to assure such teachers that I wholeheartedly believe in the effectiveness of
historical fiction and its power to stimulate learning, visualization and a sustained
interest in a given historical period. More specifically, I believe in the pedagogical value
of historical novels that artfully and emotionally connect the reader with important
historical figures. In that regard, I have tried to be mindful of the adage that “historical
fiction should be good fiction as well as good history.”

However, I want students to be able to distinguish historical fact from the instances of
literary license that I have taken as I tried to tell a compelling and coherent story. Thus,
the story is followed by a brief chronology of events that provides a timeline for the
novel’s historical sweep. Also included is a listing of key historical figures and their
respective life spans. Through these means, I hope to encourage further study and help
readers to differentiate actual historical personages from the novel’s fictional
characters. Finally, I have carefully authenticated and clearly identified (in bold type) the
written and words of important historical figures (in verbatim). As the novel’s sub-title
suggests, I want students to “hear” the actual “voices for American liberty” that inspired
this book.

*******
I believe that many of history’s lessons can be found in the efforts of our forbearers who
envisioned new worlds and who today, beckon us to a flowering of our fullest humanity.
They have much to teach us about how our world came into being and how we might
reshape it to better serve the common good. Herein lies the critical (and often
overlooked) linkage between history and hope. Through the years, I have come to agree
with Ralph Waldo Emerson who argued that, “the use of history is to give value to the
present and its moral duty.” If that be true, I hope this novel will leave students (and

For more information about The Rains, contact:


Laureate House Press
www.sulaymanclark.com
adults alike) with a heightened sense of moral duty and a deep reverence for life that
characterized the real live historical persons about whom I have written. Now more
than ever, I believe these remarkable men and women are worthy subject matter to
stimulate classroom discussion, independent study and guided reflection.

Historical research has convinced me that the moral foundations of our nation were
established by people of all ages, races and religions who responsibly exercised the
blessings of liberty and who most importantly, were willing to extend those same
liberties to others. It was they who courageously kept the quest for a greater America
alive. Today, that quest must be carried on by our young people and those who possess
an understanding of the past. Such an understanding can enable them to see beyond
narrow self-interest and stretch their historical imagination in both a backward and
forward direction.

Armed in this manner, students will be better prepared and inclined to address the
challenges and responsibilities of their times. I believe this type of historical
consciousness can help them become more responsible citizens and responsive seekers
of a better America and hopefully, a better world.

*******
In a related matter, I continue to have many reservations about how we approach the
study of history and how we introduce and interpret the phenomenon slavery to our
young people. I am also concerned about the widespread practice of dispassionately
teaching history as an academic discipline that has little or no personal and cultural
relevance to the lives of students. I believe that we are continuing to overlook history’s
unique potential to fortify the existential grounding of young people. Moreover, we are
squandering its ability to contribute to the formation of positive self-identity and social
awareness. In essence, if we would teach history with both passion and precision, we
can assist students in understanding who they are as individuals and where they are in
the stream of time. Simply put, I want students to see their current educational strivings
in continuum and as an extension of an ongoing struggle to acquire, defend and
maintain basic freedoms.

Teachers of history, social studies and literature know full well that historical fiction has
a distinct power to “breathe life” into sometimes dull subject matter by using the
persuasiveness of creative storytelling. I did not intend to blur the line separating
historical fact from fiction. I did however, want to tell a memorable story would that
would stimulate the moral sensitivities and intellectual curiosities of my readers.
Following in the tradition of writers such as Harriet Beecher Stowe and William Wells
Brown, I resolved to write this novel for broad public consumption; not for a small
community of scholars engaged in the practice of talking to and writing for one another.

For more information about The Rains, contact:


Laureate House Press
www.sulaymanclark.com
Most of the characters in the novel are real and I have tried to portray them with the
same faults, foibles and imperfections that bedevil us all. They are placed in difficult
personal circumstances and they move in a society that is in turmoil. Life is unfair, laws
are unjust and their daily existence is riddled with great danger and uncertainty. But,
through it all, they strive to understand and meet the social obligations of their times
and heed the dictates of simple justice. Their natural instincts toward life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness merge in interesting ways with their personal desires to lead
meaningful lives.

They were men and women of great courage, compassion and charity. Some gave time,
some gave money and some gave their lives. They are due our homage, but not as
romanticized heroes and heroines to be placed on psychological or marble pedestals. If
there was true greatness in them, it was because there was goodness in them. That is
why they are useful subjects for historical analysis and ethical reflection. That is why
they are worthy of remembrance.

After six years of intermittent writing, I finally completed The Rains with an intensified
belief that historical perspective and social consciousness are inextricably linked and
mutually reinforcing. Together they are powerful weapons against the diseases of
ignorance, hatred, bigotry and apathy. History, when carefully studied and astutely
taught, provides a fascinating vantage point from which we can observe the slow,
grinding evolution of American democracy and understand the social forces that have
impeded its progress, distorted its meaning and restricted its great humanitarian
promise. And, if we look hard enough, we can extract some very useful lessons and
observe many enlightening parallels to our contemporary conditions.

If this novel hits its pedagogical mark, it will fortify the educational pursuits of students
and catalyze their interest in a more serious study of this historical period. And, if it is
not too extravagant a wish, maybe some of them will be inclined to join a new and
dynamic successor generation of young scholars and teachers who are entering the
field, expanding the frontiers of knowledge and bringing creative teaching methods and
fresh historical interpretations into the classroom. Such interpretations are critically
important if we are to teach accurately about the African American odyssey in this
country. It is a bitter and brutal history that must be honestly told in ways that do not
engender negative self-imaging and the cynicism, nihilism and racial polarization that
are found in the classroom and that permeate our broader society.

Observe the forward march of human history and you will find full-scale victimization.
However, you will also find many moral victories. Examine African American history and
you will witness great tragedy. But look beyond the African American vale of tears, and
you will most assuredly discover and appreciate the compassion, intelligence, courage
and triumph of a resilient and determined people. The American slave trade is an ugly
and pernicious thing to behold in the bright light of historical examination. But, look
beyond the shadows and you will find many whites who openly challenged and
For more information about The Rains, contact:
Laureate House Press
www.sulaymanclark.com
vehemently protested against that atrocious practice at every turn. And you will surely
discover the depth of their humanity and appreciate their full-throated and unflinching
commitment to American ideals.

I hope The Rains: Voices for American Liberty will heighten the educational and social
aspirations of young people of all races and religions. Hopefully it will prod them to
critically examine their own lives and better appreciate the freedoms they currently
enjoy. Who can say? Maybe it will even expand their sense of moral duty and
strengthen their resolve to extend those same freedoms to others. I believe this is more
than wishful thinking. We sometimes underestimate and forget the value of role models
(living and deceased) and the powerful testament of lives well lived.

For more information about The Rains, contact:


Laureate House Press
www.sulaymanclark.com
Letter of Support from Dr. Arlene Ackerman

For more information about The Rains, contact:


Laureate House Press
www.sulaymanclark.com

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