Britt Johnson

Britt Johnson is the hero of The Color of Lightning. His character is based upon the true historical figure, whose story is preserved through Texas oral tradition. Britt is a tall free black man emancipated by Moses Johnson in 1863. He moves his family from Kentucky to Elm Creek, Young County on the Texas frontier. There, Britt plans to build a successful life for himself and his family. He works as a freighter and is gone from Elm Creek when the Comanche and Kiowa attack and kidnap his family. He spends the winter season preparing for his rescue mission and sets out in the spring of 1865 despite not knowing how to find them.

Because Britt is a black man who has encountered dangerous and violent oppressors, he is able to comprehend the existence of other worldviews. He is calm and calculated when he encounters white, Comanche, and Kiowa...