I’ve Been Writing on the Railroad — The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Thoughts about my visit to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Saturday.
Do you know about the Underground Railroad? I grew up two miles outside the city limits of Cincinnati, Ohio. Grew up seeing the plaque on the old brick building on the northwest corner of Hamilton Avenue and Compton Road.
This site was a “station” on the Underground Railroad.
I knew a little. Just that there were stations and conductors. And that it wasn’t a real, physical railroad.
The Underground Railroad was a system that abolitionists used to get African American people who were slaves to freedom in more northern states or Canada. People were “conducted” from safe house to safe house (“stations”), cellar to cellar, wagon to wagon.
People risked their lives to get to freedom, and to get others to freedom.
I’m sure you’ve heard of Harriet Tubman.
There was info on Harriet Tubman at the center. She gained her freedom and came back to get other people free.
So I knew a tiny bit, just that this system existed. People were involved who were prominent in the city in which I was born. I can be proud of that. They risked everything to do what…
