"Uncle Wellington's Wives” is the tale of ill-fated Wellington Braboy, who journeys to the North, mythic land of wealth and opportunity, only to realize that life there — despite a newly-acquired white wife — proves increasingly difficult for the black man. Perhaps the most influential African American writer of fiction around the turn of the twentieth century, Charles Waddell Chesnutt was born in 1858 to free African American parents living in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the first African American writer whose texts were published predominantly by leading periodicals such as the Atlantic Monthly and The Outlook, and major publishers, including Houghton Mifflin and Doubleday. Chesnutt repeatedly unveiled the nation's hypocrisy in claiming social equality among the races while gradually embracing the fierce system of segregation that characterized the North and the South at that time. In 1928, he was awarded the Springarn Medal by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in recognition of his literary achievements.

At the end of the first read, Marjorie will post a link to a free copy of the story in the chat box so that those interested can read it.