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events
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PROGRAMS IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, JULY 16 AND AUGUST 13, 2005
Saturday, July 16, 2005, there will be a two-part lecture series presented by local and regional scholars with expertise on the Underground Railroad and the Black religious independence that helped transform the African American community in Delaware before the Civil War. These lectures will be held at the Friends Meeting House, 401 North West Street, Wilmington, DE, on Saturday mornings, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The
first lecture will focus on Thomas Garrett, a local and famous abolitionist who
helped liberate many freedom seekers from slavery. James A. McGowan, a prominent
scholar and author of Station Master on the Underground Railroad: The Life and Letters of Thomas Garrett, has republished his book with updated research and new insights about Thomas Garrett. He has also created a website and digitalized William Still's 1872 book,
The Underground Railroad. The final lecture will be at the same time and place on August 13, 2005, with guest lecturers: Dr. Lewis Baldwin, Bishop Elbert Jackson and a local historian to be announced later. This final lecture will honor Bishop Peter Spencer's legacy and celebrate Zion Church's 200-year anniversary. These lectures are free and open to the public. The Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation and Many Rivers History Community Project support these programs together with the City of Wilmington. Following each lecture, refreshments will be served. For more information, call Mary Starkweather-White at 302-984-2660 or Pat Lewis at 302-778-0155.
BOUND FOR CANAAN AT ROKEBY MUSEUM, FERRISBURGH, VERMONT, JULY 16, 2005
Ferrisburgh, VT Meet Fergus Bordewich, author of Bound for Canaan, the stunning new history of the Underground Railroad on July 16 at Rokeby Museum at 2 PM. Bordewich offers a meticulously researched and dramatically told account of what he calls "the greatest movement of civil disobedience since the American Revolution, engaging thousands of citizens in the active subversion of federal law and the prevailing mores of their communities."
Bordewich conducted research in the archives at Rokeby Museum, among other untapped sources, to reconstruct the astonishing stories of ordinary men and women, black and white, who did extraordinary things. He places these individual stories in the larger context of the abolition of slavery, of the Civil War, and of race relations in the United States. "The Underground Railroad," he writes, "came into existence in an America in which democracy was the property of white men alone, and in which free as well as enslaved blacks lived under conditions that had more in common with what we today call totalitarianism than many Americans care to admit."
Bordewich will read from his book, talk about how he came to write it, and explore the ties between Vermont and national events. Books will be available for sale and signing. The event is free and open to the public.
Fergus Bordewich has written for the New York Times, Smithsonian, and Harper's, among other national magazines. Rokeby Museum is a National Historic Landmark, designated for its Underground Railroad history. The museum is located at 4334, Route 7, Ferrisburgh, Vermont.
For more information, call 802- 77-3406, or e-mail
[email protected]
FREEDOM SYMPOSIUM IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, OCTOBER 14, 2005
The Slave Descendants Freedom Society, Inc. will hold its Second Annual Freedom Symposium on Friday, October 14, 2005, at the BWI Airport Marriott, 1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21240 from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm.
Two panel discussions are planned:
- MORNING PANEL:
Clergy and other historians of the major religious faiths in the African American communities will discuss what roles their organizations played in helping to emancipate and support our enslaved ancestors. Our objective is to provide a better understanding among our religious organizations and discuss initiatives for improvement in the 21st century. Confirmed panelists to date include Sister Reginald Gerdes of the Oblate Sisters of Providence (Black Nun Order), Rev. Linda Mouzon, associate pastor at Union Bethel AME Church, Evangelist-At-Large Dr. Charles W. Harris, First Tabernacle Baltimore (Hebrew Israelite organization) and Dr. Gerald Smith, noted religious historian and lecturer. Moderator: Dr. Robert Wallace, President & CEO BITHGROUP Technologies (Seventh Day Adventist).
- AFTERNOON PANEL: Representatives of organizations with connections to the African continent will discuss how African Americans can connect back to the different countries of their ancestors using genealogy research. Confirmed panelists to date include Dr. Patricia Newton, MD, MPH, owner of Sebayit Tours, Ms. Gina Paige, President of African Ancestry, a DNA research company and Ms. Margaret Dureke, Esq., Publisher and Managing Editor of JAHS Publishing Group. Moderator: Ms. Sandi Mallory, Midday Host, WEAA 88.9FM Morgan State University.
COST: $55.00 GENERAL PUBLIC AND $45 SDFS MEMBERS, includes continental breakfast and lunch.
For information, call 410-772-00 or go to:
www.slavedescendants.org
Christopher Densmore
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
July 6, 2005
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