Who is Sara Tidwell from Bag of Bones and what is their importance?

Sara Tidwell is an outgoing black woman who is the leader of a band called the Red Tops. The attempt to settle in the house she calls Sara Laughs in the early 1900's, thinking she and her family are accepted at the lake, and while for the most part this is true, there are a few exceptions. Bigots who believe she should be more respectful and observant of the master white race don''t share her enthusiasm to stay and become part of the local community although most do. One such small minded man lies in wait with his friends and catches her walking alone one night. Sara has known men like this her entire life, and is sorry to encounter them here as well.

Her strong spirit would have saved her, despite the gang rape she endures, had she not had the temerity to laugh at their leader when he is less than ready to perform when his turn comes. Her laughter so angers him that he chokes the life out of her. As he does so, her son Tito shows up, and he orders his cohorts to drown the boy to keep their terrible secret from getting out. Sara haunts the area from that day forward, making it her mission to ensure those responsible for her and her sons deaths pay for their actions with their lives and their children.