Laurence Fishburne reads a former slave's incredible letter to his old master

Nothing makes me believe in cosmic justice more than reading that Jordan Anderson died at 81 and his wife Mandy lived until 87 while his enslaver? Died broke and angry at 44. He talks about the wish of his children getting an education and one of his sons achieved a doctorate and coauthored the Dayton, Ohio's first black newspaper.

"Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the labourer of his hire." Fishburne's delivery of this line is perfect

That was the most eloquent, most polite way to say the biggest F you I’ve ever heard. Amazing. I salute you sir.

Perfect example of how the “ slave” reveals to the “ master” his class, grace and dignity . Three cheers to him.

I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when the colonel received the letter. Well said and read.

What an incredible writer. Formal yet conversational, hilarious yet restrained, a respectful tone yet absolutely scathing.

The quietly suppressed rage just under the humor/sarcasm is brilliant. This man is amazing.

To be able to show his former "Master", after 32yrs of enslavement, his value, was invaluable. Beautifully worded example of his patience and tolerance, of a profoundly personal human injustice.

I love how, even amidst all his sarcasm and justice, down the years we can still hear how very proud he was of his children. Here’s hoping they led great lives together.

A while ago I clicked over to the Letters Live site and read this. It is my absolute favourite. Anderson is a wonderful deadpan wit who frames his argument devastatingly well. He was cheated of his calling as a writer in my view. I'm glad to know he lived to 81 years and had 11 children. We can hope his legacy lives on. "Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me."

I love so much how this letter is simultaneously a masterpiece of sarcastic tone, and yet at the same time completely genuine in the given requests that would be necessary for the man to go back.

“To meet in the better world, if not in this” I love that

For a man (and his loved ones) to be so aggrieved for so long and to retain their sense of humor in dealing with their tormentor amazes me. Sounds like a great man.

What is left unsaid about Mathilda and Catherine leaves me with chills.

I am a 75 yo w f who was raised in the Deep South during time before integration. While I laughed at some of the letter as it ended I broke into deep sobs that continued for awhile. As a child and young teen we didn’t question enough or in my case at all. Everything was accepted as the way it was, separate bathrooms, water fountains, dr waiting rooms and ordering food from back doors of restaurants. The food though payed same amount for as whites had to be eaten somewhere else, off the premises. One day as I walked with my Uncle Alfred, my dad’s brother, we met on the sidewalk 2 elderly black ladies and a elderly black man I stepped off the sidewalk into a parking space. My Uncle grabbed my arm and slapped me right across the face saying “Girl, don’t you ever step aside for a n——r. On my face & cheek his hand was visible in red and blue bruises, I had never been struck before, my mother had miscarried 3 times and other unfortunate pregnancies that resulted in stillborn. I was the only child to survive and was adored, I saw my father fight his brother that day, how horrible. But my experience was one day, not the life sentence the Blacks had to endure.

Mr. Laurence Fishburne has a firm soothing distinguished voice, I could listen to him lecture for hours

I googled his name to see if there ever was a reply or to see how the letter survived - as you would expect the recipient to have destroyed it in anger. An article says "historian Raymond Winbush tracked down some of the Colonel’s descendants still living in Big Spring. Colonel Anderson, it seems, was forced to sell the land after his plea to Jordan failed, and he died not long after at age 44. (Jordan Anderson died in 1907 at age 81.) What’s amazing, says Winbush, “is that the current living relatives of Colonel Anderson are still angry at Jordan for not coming back.”

Mindblowing! I'm wondering if Mr Anderson had the sleightest idea that his penstrokes would be read in front of a lecture hall 160 years later to a cheering audience 🫡

This man’s voice, his tone, his resonance and powerful presence made this letter an entire movie in my ears. Well done!

The beautiful simplicity of "You lose".