A simple epitaph with amazing impact: Born in Slavery, Died Feb 15 1908. Those words speak and speak loudly. Thomas Burl wanted it to be known for eternity that he was a slave. And he wanted it to be known that he wasn\u27t when he died. That label defined his whole life. It defined who he was when he had the name slave forced on him when he was born. And it again defined him through its absence after 1863. [excerpt
