The Center for Racial and Social Justice at Shaw University is pleased to support the NC Opera’s world stage premier of Sanctuary Road, a new opera based on the life of William Still and the Underground Railroad. As part of our support, we invite you to attend a virtual panel discussion “The Underground Railroad – Freedom Seeking in North Carolina” on Wednesday, February 16th at 6:00 p.m. Our panelists will include Ms. Angela Thorpe, Director of the NC African American Heritage Commission and Mr. Earl Ijames, Curator with the North Carolina Museum of History.
While most are familiar with the Underground Railroad, for some it may seem like a distant moment in time, given that the first accounts of the secret passage were almost 200 years ago. However, the relevance of the Underground Railroad for us today is that it created a masterful blueprint for being networked, which provided ample evidence of African American capabilities and debunked the claim that African Americans could not act or organize on their own. For the 2022 MLK Day Celebration Shaw University brought Shaun King, author and civil rights activist, as the keynote speaker. King reminded us of four key elements needed for change and one of those elements was the need to be “Deeply Organized.” Although we may not be in a high energy movement moment at the present time, when the time comes, let us be prepared by being organized. Knowing what the Underground Railroad accomplished in the 1800’s, imagine all that we can achieve in the present day.
As a reminder to remember let us reflect on a few lessons we can use as wisdom from the legacy of the Underground Railroad.
Legacy to Lessons
- The underground railroad was a metaphor. They used train-themed codewords to keep the network of people and safe houses that helped people fleeing slavery attempt to reach freedom in secret.
- Let us be covert in our organizing efforts
- Let us be covert in our organizing efforts
- The Fugitive Slave Actincreased the desire of slaveholders to recapture escaped slaves and called for harsher punishments for freedom-seekers and those who tried to help them. This increased the challenges for those networked within the Underground Railroad and led to changes in strategy.
- Let us have a plan but be flexible when the conditions call for change
- Let us have a plan but be flexible when the conditions call for change
- Though Harriet Tubman is often synonymous with the Underground Railroad, William Still was actually considered the father of the Underground Railroad. Still kept detailed records to aid in efforts to one day reunite families of the formerly enslaved.
- Let us be inclusive and practice co-leadership when it’s best for the collective
Please join us for this insightful and informative panel, and for the NC Opera production of Sanctuary Road, March 4-5 at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, please go to ncopera.org.
