Black people baby shower food ideas

37 Crowd-Pleasing Baby Shower Food Ideas

Planning a baby shower is lots of fun, especially when it comes to brainstorming food ideas. Whether you’re looking for food ideas that match your chosen baby shower theme or you’re just looking for quick, easy, and flavorful options that everyone will love, you’ve come to the right place. Check out our 37 baby shower food ideas, including savories, sweets, and thirst-quenching drinks.

9 Tips and Ideas for Planning a Baby Shower Menu

When planning a baby shower, you can be as creative as you like with the food ideas, but it’s also important to consider some practical aspects.

As the host, you’ll have a lot to take care of, including decorating the venue, so it’s good to plan food that is quick to make and easy to serve and eat.

Here are some tips to help you think about the types of food to choose, how to serve it, and more:

Savory Baby Shower Food Ideas

Whether you plan on having only finger foods or an entire menu at the baby shower, here are some ideas for the savory food:

Baby Shower Dessert Table Food Ideas

Besides having a baby shower cake as a centerpiece, you may want to have a dessert table with an assortment of other sweet offerings. Here are some ideas for crowd-pleasing sweets and desserts:

Drinks

Beyond serving the usual wine spritzer or sparkling wine at the baby shower, consider some alcohol-free drinks, like mocktails, punch, and homemade sodas:

The Bottom Line

You’ll no doubt have lots of fun planning and serving the food for the mom-to-be’s baby shower.

If you’ve decided to prepare most of the food, round up some of the mom-to-be’s friends and family to help. Make it easier on yourself by using some store-bought elements, too. You could also make some of what’s on offer but ask each guest to bring a small plate to share.

Set up food and dessert tables so that guests can serve themselves buffet style, and stick to foods that aren’t too messy to eat while standing up and mingling.

If you have a set theme, you can tie the food into the theme by using colored frosting, or by piping lettering onto foods like “Oh, Baby!” Cookie cutters are your friend! Cut everything from brownies to sandwiches into shapes that match the theme. You can also connect the food and drinks to the theme based on the colors you choose for the straws, napkins, and cupcake liners.

Having a chocolate fondue fountain or a soda bar can create an interactive element that guests will love.

Have fun with it! Your options are endless, and you might find you really get into it once you get started. And, always remember, no matter what food and drinks you serve, your guests — especially the guest of honor — will really appreciate your efforts and thoughtfulness.

While you’re here, check out our baby shower checklist to double-check that you’ve covered everything for the upcoming event.

Baby Shower Food Ideas - Baby Chick

Hosting a baby shower is such an important job to support a mother-to-be. I will never forget my baby shower and all the work my mom put into it to host it for me. I am forever grateful!

Planning a baby shower is a lot of work, from the guest list to the décor, the baby shower games, and most importantly, the food. There is a lot of thought and effort that goes into a shower.

What to Consider When Planning the Baby Shower Food

When planning the menu, you want to consider the preferences of the mother-to-be and serve some of her favorite foods, along with considering the baby shower’s theme.

My shower theme was “Fiesta, Baby,” and we had a taco and nacho bar—some of my favorite things and on theme! You will also want to consider your guests’ dietary needs and ensure you have some gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan offerings mixed in. That way, there is a little something for everyone in the spread. Of course, make sure to have plenty of bottles of hand sanitizer available to your guests as they prepare to make their way through the food offering. This will help keep everyone healthy.

Baby Shower Appetizers

Finger foods are excellent to serve at baby showers, and anything “mini” is always a charming option for the food table. I love going to a baby shower where many different appetizers are served. Bonus points if they are on a toothpick or in a single-serving cup! Serving many appetizers is a great way to have lots of options for your guests that meet the needs of even the pickiest of attendees. Here are some delicious ideas for appetizers:

Pimento cheese crostini
Charcuterie board
Individual cups of cut veggies and dressing
Tea sandwiches
Fruit kebabs
Sandwich pinwheels
Meatballs
Pigs in a blanket
Stuffed mushrooms
Mini crab cakes
Shrimp cocktail
Spanakopita

Baby Shower Buffet

Buffets of entrée foods are a great, inclusive baby shower food idea for your guests. They can choose exactly how they want to customize their meal according to their preferences and dietary needs. I have shared some fun buffet ideas and examples of items to put on that buffet that will give your guests many options.

Taco/nacho bar (taco meat, chicken, refried beans, sour cream, salsa, taco shells, tortillas, corn chips)
Baked potato bar (cheese, chili, sour cream, chives, butter, bacon, ham, black olives, scallions, chicken)
BBQ and fixins (pulled chicken, pulled pork, brisket, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, potato salad, cornbread)
Bagels (various cream cheese flavors, lox, capers, pickled onions, dill)

Baby Shower Brunch

A common time for baby showers is a brunch shower! I have often been to showers late Sunday morning, and I love a good brunch shower. Here are some yummy options for baby shower food ideas during brunch:

Mini quiches
Breakfast casserole(s), both with meat and vegetarian
Deviled eggs
Baked French toast
Chicken salad on Hawaiian rolls
Croissants
Scones
Muffins
Fruit salad

Baby Shower Desserts

The options for baby shower desserts are endless and the center of a shower’s celebration. Traditionally, you can serve a beautiful cake decorated like the shower’s theme. A trendy idea is to have a dessert bar with many different options for your guests. Here are some other more non-traditional dessert ideas:

Decorate your own cookie station
Cinnamon buns (cute for a “bun in the oven” theme)
Cake pops
Cookies
Chocolate covered pretzels
Petit fours
Cupcakes
Fun-sized candy bars
Hershey’s Kisses
Personalized M&M’s
Caramel popcorn
Chocolate covered strawberries
Rice Krispie Treats
Chex Muddy Buddies

Baby Shower Drinks

The drinks you offer at a baby shower depend heavily on the theme! One cute theme that I have seen is “Something’s Brewing. ” You would serve beer and coffee at that shower. At a brunch shower, you’ll probably have a mimosa bar with many different juice offerings. Depending on the time of day and audience, a signature cocktail inspired by the mother-to-be is also a cute idea! Of course, a nice offering to have is mini bottles of water. I find that at events where the mini bottles are served, it cuts down on the half-empty bottles of water being found everywhere when the event is over!

Mimosa bar (various fruit juices such as mango, pineapple, and orange)
Coffee or hot cocoa station
Iced tea
Hot tea
Infused water
Signature cocktail
Bottled water

I hope this inspires you as you plan for baby shower hosting responsibilities. You can mix and match from this list of food ideas and pull off a flawless shower! The guests and mother-to-be will love what you put together, no matter what you choose to do.

Children's birthday menu: photos, recipes, dish ideas

How to make a child's birthday truly unforgettable? Gather his friends, come up with entertainment and, of course, treat everyone to something delicious. But pleasing little guests is sometimes more difficult than adult gourmets. Our article will come to the rescue. In it, we have collected 10 dishes that will enchant even the most capricious persons. Serve these treats for a kid's birthday party and no one will leave hungry.

Original canapés

Kids will appreciate the unusual serving, and adults will appreciate the ease of cooking. Indeed, among the recipes for a children's birthday, it is important to have at least one option for a quick snack. For canapes in the form of ladybugs, it is better to take unsalted crackers with the addition of whole grain flour. You can grease the products with both pate and hummus or curd cheese.

Ingredients:

crackers - 10 pcs.
cherry tomatoes - 5 pcs.
leaf lettuce - 3-4 leaves
olives - 3 pcs.
pate - to taste

Preparation:

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and make a shallow cut in each half.
Brush crackers with pâté and cover with lettuce. Excess greens can be removed.
Top the salad with half a cherry and a quarter of an olive.
Decorate the finished ladybug with a pattern of white dots. To do this, dip a toothpick in Greek yogurt or mayonnaise and gently color the workpiece.

Snack muffins

Children are rarely fans of vegetables. But thanks to such muffins, they will even eat the hated green beans or green peas. It's nice that you can change the toppings to your liking. For example, take corn, ham or some broccoli and cauliflower. It is also better not to forget about the vegetable slices on the table. Serve carrot, pepper and cucumber sticks with yoghurt sauce.

Ingredients:

green beans - 100 g
green peas - 100 g
cheese - 100 g
chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
sour cream - 3 tbsp. l.
flour - 3 tbsp. l.
Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.
baking powder - 0.5 tsp.
salt - to taste

Preparation:

Defrost beans and peas.
Pepper and cheese cut into small cubes.
In a clean bowl, mix eggs with sour cream and salt. Gradually add the sifted flour mixed with the baking powder.
Add prepared cuts to batter.
Divide the pastry between molds and bake for 15 minutes at 180°C. Then lower the heat to 160°C and bake the muffins for another 15-20 minutes in the oven.

Cheese donuts

If you don't know what to cook, try these donuts. At a children's birthday party, they will definitely become a popular treat. The main thing is to find a good crumbly cottage cheese with a fat content of 5-9%. It is desirable that there is not too much moisture in the mass, gluing the grains together. Otherwise, wrap the cottage cheese with gauze and put it under pressure for 2-3 hours to remove excess moisture.

Ingredients:

cottage cheese - 200 g
cheese - 80 g
flour - 70 g
chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
baking powder - 0.5 tsp.
sesame - to taste

Preparation:

Mash the cottage cheese with a fork or chop with a blender.
Add grated cheese, whole egg and one egg white.
Add the sifted flour and baking powder and knead into a stiff dough.
On a floured surface, form the dough into a ball and divide it into 6-8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a sausage and seal the ends.
Transfer the blanks to a baking sheet lined with baking paper and brush with the remaining yolk.
Garnish with sesame seeds and bake for 30 minutes at 180°C.

Mini pizzas

Who would say no to a popular treat? For a children's holiday, it makes sense to make portioned pizzas. It will be easier for kids to hold them in their hands. As a sauce, ordinary ketchup or a mixture of pureed tomatoes boiled with spices is suitable. In addition to cherry tomatoes, you can use bell peppers or broccoli for the filling, and put boiled chicken or turkey instead of ham. When serving, garnish pizzas with fresh herbs, if desired.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

flour - 200 g
water - 90 ml
olive oil - 30 ml
sugar - 1 tsp.
dry yeast - 4 g
salt - pinch

Basic:

ham - 200 g
cherry tomatoes - 8 pcs.
tomato sauce - 3 tbsp. l.
cheese - 50 g

Preparation:

Mix yeast, sugar and water. Cover the bowl with a towel and put it in a warm place for 15-20 minutes. After the specified time, a foam cap should appear on the surface of the mixture.
Sift flour into activated yeast, add olive oil and salt. Knead a homogeneous dough that will not stick to your hands.
Transfer the workpiece to a clean dish, greased with olive oil, and leave warm for 1 hour.
Punch down the risen dough and divide into 8 equal pieces.
Shape each piece into a 8-10 cm round shape and place on a baking sheet.
Brush base with tomato sauce, top with ham and cherry halves, sprinkle with cheese and place in the oven.
Bake the mini pizzas for 15 minutes at 210°C.

Chicken skewers

Homemade skewers continue the selection of recipes for children's birthdays. When preparing a marinade, remember that the child likes simple and understandable tastes more. A large set of seasonings, especially spicy, he will not appreciate. But vegetables will add benefits and make the meat juicier. For variety, place sliced bell pepper or zucchini between the chicken pieces. Don't forget to prepare wooden skewers. Before stuffing the meat, it is advisable to soak them in boiling water, otherwise the wood may burn in the oven.

Ingredients:

chicken fillet - 800 g
kefir 3.2% - 180 ml
onion - 1 pc.
garlic - 1-2 cloves
salt - to taste

Preparation:

Divide the chicken fillet into 2-3 cm pieces.
Chop the onion into rings, mince the garlic.
Mix the chicken with chopped onion and garlic, season with salt.
Pour in the kefir and mix well. Leave the blank in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Thread the pickled pieces onto skewers and bake for 15-20 minutes at 200°C.

Fish fingers

Children love variety. Give the kids a choice between several dishes. For example, serve chicken skewers and crispy fish fingers. The appetizer is made from white fish: pollock, cod or haddock. If desired, breading can be supplemented with sesame seeds. Ready-made sticks go well with tartar sauce.

Ingredients:

white fish fillet - 600 g
vegetable oil - 150 ml
breadcrumbs - 3 tbsp. l.
chicken eggs - 1 pc.
salt - to taste
pepper - to taste

Preparation:

Cut the fillet into strips 1.5–2 cm thick. Season with salt and a little pepper.
Beat the egg with a fork in a flat bowl.
Place the breadcrumbs in another bowl.
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan.
Dip the fish fillets in turn into the egg and breadcrumbs, and then fry in hot oil.
Wipe finished sticks with a paper towel to remove excess oil.

No Bake Cake

When planning what to cook for a child's birthday, don't forget about sweets. What's a holiday without cake? This recipe can be made the day before. Any gelatin is useful, but the rules for working with sheets and powder are different. The layers are randomly poured with cold water, and then squeezed out. For crystals, it is desirable to observe a ratio of 1: 6 (take 6 parts of water for 1 part of gelatin).

Ingredients:

For the cake:

cookies - 300 g
Butter - 100 g

Basic:

cottage cheese - 800 g
cream 20% - 200 ml
sugar - 100 g
sour cream - 100 g
cocoa - 2 tbsp. l.
gelatin - 40 g

Preparation:

Grind cookies with butter into crumbs. Spread the mass over the bottom and sides of the form and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Soak gelatine in water.
Beat cottage cheese with sugar and sour cream. The easiest way to do this is with an immersion blender.
Mix swollen gelatin with cream and heat to 60-70°C. The thickener should dissolve, but the liquid should not be allowed to boil.
Add the warm mixture to the curds and beat everything well again with an immersion blender.
Cocoa mix with half of the curd and cream mass.
Spread the filling as follows: 1 tablespoon cream mixture, then 1 spoon chocolate mixture. It is advisable to finish the cake with a colored layer.
Using a skewer, make patterns on the top of the workpiece and send it to the refrigerator until completely solidified.

Funny apple slices

Even ordinary fruits can be served in an original way. For example, make funny monsters out of apple slices. Sweet sprinkles in the form of eyes can be found on the Internet. If there is no unusual decoration, then make it yourself. Melt the chocolate and use a toothpick or skewer to drizzle over the marshmallows. The same melted chocolate or peanut butter will help to fix the marshmallows on the slices.

Ingredients:

apples - 2 pcs.
strawberries - 100 g
peanut butter - 8 tsp
sunflower seeds - 2 handfuls
confectionery topping in the shape of eyes - 8 pcs.

Method:

Quarter medium-sized apples.
Remove the center from the skin side of each wedge.
Brush the resulting hole with peanut butter and fill with a strawberry slice.
Peel the sunflower seeds and stick a few into the apple blanks.
Seal eyes with peanut butter and serve.

Cake pops

Bright cakes on skewers - why not treat a child's birthday? It is easy to attract even the birthday man himself to their preparation. Or you can make blanks in advance and invite guests to decorate them with sprinkles and icing. For the latter, it is better to choose white chocolate, since dyes can be added to the resulting mass. Let the little chefs cover the balls on their own and show imagination in decorating.

Ingredients:

For the biscuit:

chicken eggs - 3 pcs.
sugar - 90 g
flour - 90 g

For cream:

curd cheese - 90 g
powdered sugar - 30 g

For glaze:

chocolate - 200 g
butter - 20 g

Preparation:

Whisk eggs with sugar until fluffy white foam.
Carefully add the sifted flour and knead the dough.
Bake the biscuit for 30 minutes at 180°C.
Cool the finished cake and grind into crumbs.
In a clean bowl, beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar.
Add biscuit crumbs to the cream and mix. Form into balls 4–5 cm in diameter and refrigerate for 1–2 hours.
Melt chocolate in a water bath and mix with butter. Thread the balls onto wooden skewers.
Dip the balls in the frosting one by one. Let the mass take over.
Decorate each cake pop as you like.

Nut bars

Although a sweet table is an obligatory part of a children's holiday, it is not worth pampering children with a lot of sugar. Instead of store-bought bars or candies, make an alternative treat of nuts and dried fruits. Don't be afraid to change the filling to your liking. For example, make a treat only from almonds or add walnuts.

Ingredients:

pitted dates - 200 g
almonds - 60 g
cashews - 50 g
peanuts - 50 g
hazelnuts - 50 g
honey - 50 g
coconut oil - 1 tbsp. l.

For glaze:

chocolate - 200 g
coconut oil - 1 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

Crush the almonds.
Chop the remaining nuts and dates.
Add crushed almonds, honey and coconut oil to the mixture. Mix the base for the bars.
Line a mold with foil and place the mixture on top. Smooth out.
Melt the chocolate with coconut oil in a bain-marie.
Decorate the blank with the resulting glaze. Sprinkle shredded coconut on top, if desired, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Divide the formed cake into bars, wrap each with parchment and serve.

As you can see, there are many interesting ideas of what to cook for a children's birthday. The original menu will definitely be remembered by both guests and the hero of the occasion.

3. Lifting the sword. The Tale of John Brown

November, eight hundred and forty-seven. Two men, one white and one black, bent over a map of America spread out on a large dining table. However, one cannot be called completely white: John Brown spent so much time in the air that his face was tanned for a long time, weathered, became brown-reddish. There is no other completely black: Frederick Douglas, a thirty-year-old fugitive slave, fair-faced mulatto. Royal Giant. In the thirty-eighth year, he fled from the South.

Garrison received a letter from an abolitionist: “…our public is eagerly waiting for a negro to speak before them, especially a slave. Crowds will flock to hear such a man. It will be very wise to use a few Negroes for our propaganda, if suitable people are found ... ”And the author of the letter recommended Frederick Douglas,“ a recent graduate of the school of slavery with a graduation diploma carved on his back ... ”.

Douglas' first impromptu speech became an event, brought him fame. He was attracted by his appearance - he was called the “Numidian lion” because of the mane of hair, he was attracted by fate, the courage shown, and oratorical talent. Soon they began to come to his performances, as to performances.

After his speech in Boston, Wendell Philips, president of the anti-slavery society in Massachusetts, addressed the public:

— Can such a person be called a thing? Treat it like a thing?

Polyphonic:

— NO!!!

Douglas heard about Brown from Negroes. They told how this White planted blacks on his bench in the church, tried to organize a Negro school. He was spoken of by the fugitives who stopped at Brown's station on the secret road with such a reverent breath that Douglas was more alarmed than attracted—he did not like to worship. But having received an invitation, Douglas did not come to Brown in Springfield on purpose, he had a performance in this city.

The same qualities that attracted some people to Douglas caused mistrust in others: so handsome, so smart, educated, so well spoken, is he a slave? Maybe the deceiver is only pretending to be a slave?

When doubts were expressed, Douglas turned, lifted his shirt, showed the welts.

Brown was struck by Douglas's voice - low, thick, with tints - he should have sung in church. Unbeknownst to Brown, Douglas actually sang the congregation ambassador often. "The Minnesinger of American Liberty," he was called.

Frederik first came to the shop. When they went together to Brown's home, he was very surprised - Spartan simplicity, almost poverty. He had heard of Brown's financial difficulties, but had no idea.

Big family. There are no servants. Children - and boys too - help their mother. Everyone is friendly to the guest. The fact that the guest is a Negro is not unusual for both Mary Brown and the children.

The masters are obeyed implicitly. Everything is too strict for Douglas's taste. Silence. Prayer. The younger ones do not open their mouths. It often seems to Douglas himself that the Negroes are too talkative and noisy, but such silence somehow makes him uncomfortable.

The food is modest but hearty: soup, potatoes, cabbage.

This is not the first white house Douglas has visited. Not the first, but special.

The abolitionists welcomed Douglas with joy, he soon became necessary. Personal relationships, with rare exceptions, were not easy. Some did not want to get close to him, did not invite him to their place - maybe closed people.

How is Douglas to know why so often closeness at meetings is replaced by aloofness as soon as the meeting is over? Maybe they think so: “Equality is equality, but at a distance. Slavery is a disgrace, it must be ended, let the Negroes be fine, I will do everything for this, but I don’t want to communicate with them.

Other whites, on the contrary, threw themselves into his arms, began to talk about how passionately they loved blacks, blacks in particular. It even became unpleasant for Frederick when, albeit sincerely, but intrusively, they praised, admired, talked about the special giftedness of blacks, about how beautifully they sing, dance, how deliciously black women cook, sometimes, after drinking, alone, what amazing mistresses black women . .. And almost none of those whites who surrounded Douglas spoke about the shortcomings of the Negroes - in case he was offended.

Brown talked about the Negroes he knew.

- I love Garnet, but I don't like Thomas, cunning, smart.

Argued. Frederick was Garnet's opponent at the Negro convention. In response to Garnet's call for insurrection (the same one printed by Brown), Douglas objected, arguing that spontaneous uprisings inevitably end in terrible defeats. Most of the participants in the convention then supported Douglas.

Brown was arguing with Douglas, but at the same time Douglas felt with pleasure, with surprise, that the interlocutor did not at all think that he was talking to a Negro about a Negro. He speaks with a comrade, with an equal, whether he agrees or objects. No wall built in advance.

Douglas looks at John Jr. and a funny question comes to his mind: if this guy fell in love with my daughter, would Brown agree to such a marriage? And he answers himself: Brown doesn’t care what color her skin is, and as for his son’s future bride, it would be more important for him what she is and how she relates to slavery. (This is what Brown asked Henry Thompson, who became the husband of his eldest daughter Ruth.)

Brown showed Douglas the outline of his article "Sambo Mistakes", written in the first person on behalf of a Negro. And Frederick was not at all offended by the word "Sambo" - that contemptuous nickname with which white racists addressed blacks. It didn't hurt because Brown said what and how Douglas himself could say. After all, it is true that his native Negro people have a lot of bad things. And we must get rid of this, not only from the planter's whip. And you won’t throw off slavery itself, if you don’t throw off opportunism, laziness, indifference, cowardice ...

Brown asks, guest tells. How the hostess taught the alphabet. As he himself learned to write on the fences. How they beat. Once he gave back for the first time. He wrote, already on paper, furtively, it was scary - he had to hide these sheets, suddenly the owner would find it.

— Even to you, Brown, to your children, I cannot explain what it meant to me, because you were simply taught to write and read, no one forbade it. And I wanted to read, I was drawn to the book. Therefore, as soon as he himself learned, he tried to teach others in Sunday school after the sermon. Reported. And a crowd came up to our hut on the orders of the owner: “We don’t need a new Pat Turner here!”

Brown talked about his failed attempt to set up a school for Negro children, but of course it's not the same thing, Brown's trials are not in his own skin, not in the skin of his children.

With the fifty cents that Douglas had already earned in freedom by shining his shoes, he bought his first book - a school anthology "The Columbian Speaker", a collection of poems about freedom fighters in different countries.

Much later, Brown learned that Frederick took the name "Douglas" from Walter Scott's poem "The Maid of the Lake", but he himself never read either this or other books by the famous Scot.

— For a literate person, of course, it became easier for me, but in some ways it was more difficult. Only then it began to dawn on me: I am a slave. Previously, as usual: work, sleep, food, food, sleep, work. And he raised his head a little, then the real pain came up. Then I asked myself: what is the difference between me and a horse?

— “Knowledge multiplies sorrow” — so it is said.

Brown has a quote from the Bible for every occasion. And Douglas is not only an unbeliever, but thinks little of God, very little.

When runaway slaves used to come to the Browns, there were staccato words, sighs, exclamations. And more often - oppressed, hunted silence.

Now it's different. Now he is like himself there, on the plantation. And he sees the owner with a raised whip, and a nineteen-year-old boy who decided: “No. I don't want to, I can't." He sees because before him is a talented storyteller. The choice of words, intonation, facial expressions, gestures - everything is accurate.

It's not the first time Douglas talks, but each time it's different. Listeners are different.

Tells about his trip to England, where he met with members of parliament, famous figures of literature and art. The British bought Frederick out of slavery.

- Well done. Okay, sure, but what about the others? Three million blacks? Nobody knows them, nobody will redeem them. They are beaten and killed silently.

- When I was bought out, I swore I would never forget the plantation.

Douglas wants to please Brown. He says much more than the owner, but he feels what a significant person is in front of him. They quickly find what unites them - both lost their mothers early, both did not forget their childhood grief, both of them are so alive that at the very first meeting a brotherhood is born - a brotherhood of orphans.

Brown's first letter about Negroes, a letter to his brother about a Negro school, was written in 1834. That same year, Douglas responded for the first time to an overseer who beat him. In 1839 Brown swore an oath to dedicate his life to the fight against slavery. In the same thirty-ninth, Douglas became close to the abolitionists. Signs?

The next day, Douglas had to go to another city. He spent the night at the Browns. In the evening they were alone. And then the owner spoke.

- I have been looking for a person like you for a long time. That's why I wanted to meet you, that's why I invited you. Here is my plan for the liberation of the Negroes. See.

Two people are bending over a map of America. Allegheny Mountains. The ridge stretches from the South across the country.

Brown lays out to Douglas his newly conceived plan: to create a military force in the Alleghenies from fugitive slaves.

Douglas had to hear many plans for liberation, he himself thought and invented a lot, but never such a bold one. Drink from whom. Began to figure out, sort out friends.

— I doubt it, Brown. Run to break free, throw off the shackles, yes. And very few do it. But running to fight for others - I can't imagine who would do that. Who dares to raise a hand against the whites! After all, Negroes are accustomed from infancy: the white master is wise and omnipotent, one must be afraid of his voice, his look . .. Still, it is clear that you do not know slavery ...

- I did not fall from the moon and did not come from Europe. I know that slaves are people, and people are different. These sheep seem to be the same, and when I drove my father's sheep as a child, I was convinced: each had its own burrows. In humans, even more so. It is enough for me to know you. Yes, you are right, most people only want to escape. Well, those who are only running to make their lives, let them run to Canada. But there are others, I'm sure there are. Here from them it is necessary to create fighting groups. Do you really think there are not a few hundred real brave men in America, real fighters against slavery?

— I don't know… What about peaceful routes, Brown? What about politics? There are corridors. This is where the decisions are actually made. It is possible to influence congressmen, and, finally, the slave owners themselves - after all, they are also different people ...

Brown could not help but object to Douglas, only he still lacked arguments. Douglas parried relatively easily.

- Brown, slave owners chasing runaways with sheepdogs. Have you ever seen such a dog attack a person?

Brown did not see this.

- Planters will sell their Negroes down the river to keep their property.

- Well, and this is not bad, again we will turn out to be attackers, because we will forcibly push back the boundaries of slavery.

Douglas sighs. He is seventeen years younger than the interlocutor, but he feels older, as if he is a skeptic teaching an enthusiastic youth. Perhaps two centuries of painful historical experience, the experience of slave ancestors, is getting old?

— What real results do you expect? Will we succeed from there, from the mountain shelters?

— What is a “result”? What is "success" when it comes to freedom? What are the results, what are the successes of the abolitionists?

- Look at this: “Combat slavery in all its forms and manifestations, put forward projects for the emancipation of the Negro people, demand a single standard of social morality for all, promote the moral and intellectual progress of the Negro people and hasten the day of liberation from captivity of three million of our fellow citizens . ..”

This is from the first issue of the Northern Star, which Douglas has just started publishing.

A single measure of public morality - Brown apparently has it in his blood - the same for everyone. But how many such whites are there in vast America?

- This is my main cause, this is what I believe in. To convince, explain, educate, prepare minds and souls for liberation from slavery. The more ink we spend today, the less blood will be spilled tomorrow. I come to the editorial office on Buffalo Street, and there is already a line of blacks for my newspaper ... So I need it. Perhaps, I have never had greater joy in my life ... In any case, Brown, your project is very serious, you need to think and think about it.

— That's why I called you.

We sat up until three o'clock in the morning, discussing the plan, arguing. Were often distracted.

After this meeting, Douglas wrote in his newspaper that he had a private interview with Brown, he is "a white gentleman, but he sympathizes with black people and is so deeply interested in our cause, as if his own soul was riddled with iron tires of slavery . ..".

The idea of the liberation of the Negroes became for Brown the only and higher life - his own and someone else's. Brown unusually attracted Douglas and a little frightened. From the very first meeting, he felt not only commonality, but also differences. The owner hasn't noticed any difference yet. He only cares about one thing: Douglas liked his plan. With reservations, with objections, but I liked it. This Brown hears well: I liked it. And he hears reservations, but he hears objections, of course, but muffledly, shakes them off, they do not remain.

Like-minded Negro - how he was looking for, how he was waiting for this. Not scored. Not oppressed. Without errors Sambo. Proud. Ready to fight. Found.

Brown's words are very pleasing to Douglas, they amuse vanity. But he's not entirely convinced if he's the one Brown is looking for?

"The master of the house - it looks like he will become my master" - these are late Douglas words, but he experienced something similar even then.