By Sharon Bryant and Nancy Figiel
On Saturday, May 21, Tryon Palace will present “Pathway to Freedom,” a symposium on the Underground Railroad. This symposium will delve into lesser-known maritime routes taken by many who sought freedom in eastern North Carolina, New Bern, and elsewhere.
The Underground Railroad refers to the efforts of enslaved African Americans to escape bondage. Many of these routes were carefully planned, some were opportunist and included escape by both land and sea. These acts of self-emancipation labeled slaves as “fugitives,” “escapees,” or “runaways,” but “freedom seekers” is a more accurate description. The Underground Railroad network began in the late 18th century. It grew steadily until the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. One estimate suggests that by 1850, approximately 100,000 enslaved people had escaped via the network.
During each subsequent decade while slavery was legal in the United States, efforts to assist escape increased and became more refined. Through the symposium, scholars will deepen our understanding of this remarkable and courageous movement by those bound by a system defined by denying agency.
Speakers presenting at this symposium will cover topics on the First Underground Railroad, from colonial to the late 1700s, and the Second Underground Railroad, from 1800 to 1865. The keynote speaker is Dr. Timothy D. Walker, Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he serves on the Executive Board of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture. Dr. Walker will present “Sailing to Freedom,” and highlight little-known stories and the less-understood maritime side of the Underground Railroad, as well as the impact of African Americans’ paid and unpaid waterfront labor.
Various other routes led to Mexico, where slavery had been abolished, and to islands in the Caribbean that were not part of the slave trade. Dr. Maria Hammack, University of Pennsylvania, who will speak about those who left the United States and claimed liberation in Mexico.
Join us for a day of learning as we explore the Underground Railroad, both nationally and more specifically in eastern North Carolina. The day long agenda includes a film presentation, academic speakers, a performance of “Songs of Freedom and the Underground Railroad Gospel Choir 3CGC,” by the Craven Community College Choir, and three panel sessions; The First Underground Railroad in North America; The Second and Last Underground Railroads, 1800 – 1865; and Legacies of America’s Underground Railroads.
The Symposium was funded in part by North Carolina’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the Tryon Palace Foundation and is supported by the Tryon Palace African American Advisory Committee.
The event will take place in the North Carolina History Center’s Cullman Performance Hall, 529 S. Front Street, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 21. Registration is required and space is limited. Admission is $5.00 and includes lunch with pre-registration. For more information, please call Sharon Bryant, African American Outreach Coordinator, at 252-639-3592.
Tryon Palace • 529 South Front Street • 252-639-3500 • www.tryonpalace.org