12 March 2015 Volume 10, number 53 UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREE PRESS® Independent reporting on today’s Underground Railroad urrFreePress.com With My Brother's Keeper, Bryan Prince Turns Out Another Eye-opener In This Issue Award-winning Canadian author Bryan Prince has turned out another in his growing series of Underground Railroad books, this one perhaps his best yet. His recently released My Canadian author Bryan Prince tells of Brother's Keeper: African Canadians and freedom seekers who made it to Can- the American Civil War is a history of ada, then went back to fight for the Union in the Civil War. American Underground Railroad 1 freedom seekers who had reached safety in Canada before the Civil War Nominate someone or an organiza- going back across the border and tion for a 2015 Free Press Prize. Visit helping the Union to fight the war. Prizes at our website for more. 1 Through the stories of individuals, My Brother's Keeper portrays shared experiences of many former slaves Who are you, "Hope Winters"? We are looking for a mystery contributor leaving their freedom to take part in America as lecturers, and were recip- with a touching story. the Civil War. Prince's research un- ients of the 2011 Hortense Simmons covered 1,100 blacks who came to Prize for Advancement of Knowledge 2 Canada, then returned to serve in the awarded by Underground Railroad Free war. Said Prince, “I wanted to know Press. Three are granted pardons, but 171 about every single one of them.” Bryan Prince is a descendent of Un- years late. It strikes him as incredible how peo- derground Railroad freedom seekers. ple who found freedom and started a Shannon Prince is Curator of the Bux- 2 new life in Canada life risked it all to ton Museum and National Historic go back and fight. “It just shows how Site. The couple lives near North Bux- Opportunities: List an organization or deeply slavery was engrained in their ton, Ontario. event, search the Free Press archives, being, and their desire to do some- submit an article or ad, read our an- He sits on the board of the museum, thing against it. It meant so much to nual survey reports, and more. and has served as consulting editor 3 them to go back and be a part of erad- with England’s Adam Matthew Pub- icating what they had come from.” lications Project on Slavery, Abolition Three authors publish two closely re- Bryan Prince is among North Ameri- and Social Justice, and as member of lated books at the same time. One of ca's foremost researchers and authors the Ontario Bicentenary Commemo- our reviewers looks into it. on the Underground Railroad, slav- rative Committee on Abolition of the ery and abolition. His previous books Slave Trade, the International Under- 3 include One More River to Cross, A ground Railroad Heritage Program, Shadow on the Household, and I Came as Ontario’s Underground Railroad a Stranger. Prince and his wife Shan- Sites Program, and York University’s non are in demand throughout North Harriet Tubman Institute . Honor a Person or an Organization With a 2015 Free Press Prize Since 2008, Underground Railroad Free Press has awarded annual terest, legislation and financial support may also be considered. prizes for contemporary Underground Railroad leadership, Individuals and organizations from any country are eligible for preservation and advancement of knowledge, the top honors in nomination. Nominating is easy. Just download a nomination the international Underground Railroad community. form from our website, complete it, and email it to us at Pub- Past winners have been honored for discovering or preserving [email protected]. The 2015 nomination deadline is June Underground Railroad sites and artifacts, founding or leading 30. Visit urrfreepress.com/#prizes for more information and to organizations, writing books, performing research, and Under- view past winners. ground Railroad promotion. Artistic accomplishment, official in- 123 Underground Railroad Free Press 2 "Hope Winters," Are You Out There? An Appeal from Free Press Publisher Peter H. Michael In the 2014 survey of the international Un- poses thirty years of growing United States derground Railroad community, Free Press economic disparity and how the ultra-rich departed for a year from our standard format and largest corporations caused it by pur- by polling on economic disparity, currently a chasing legislation through "campaign con- hot topic in the United States. As with all Free tributions." In the book, I've called this sur- Press surveys, the 2014 survey was anony- vey-taker "Hope Winters," (as opposed to mous with no way to identify respondents. Hope Springs.) Readers can view results at our website. "Hope," so moving was your plight and ex- Near the end of the survey we asked, "Please pression that I'd very much like to know how feel free to provide any comments that you you are doing now. At 537 words, yours was would like to offer." Among the many sur- by far the longest response. It truly stood out. vey-takers who responded to this question, You ended with, "I don't know the answer. one in particular stood out with a heart-felt How I wish I did. I can't go on much longer description of her deteriorated economic sit- like this. My one saving grace is that I paid uation. off the mortgage before all of this happened." This eloquent statement from an unknown If you would like to remain anonymous, became a key first-person example cited in that's fine, and that is what you were prom- my forthcoming book, Running on Empty: ised. If you would like to provide an update, Along an Epic 12,000-Mile Road Trip America you may do so anonymously or by name by Has Its Say on Economic Inequality which ex- emailing me at [email protected]. Coming in Spring 2015 Thank you. Illinois Governor Pardons Three 1800s Abolitionists In part, this article is based on report- fact on the right side of history. Here ing by the St. Louis Post Dispatch (De- were people who in the ultimate cember 31, 2015) and the Galesburg, schemes were committed to doing the Illinois Register-Mail (January 5, 2015). right thing no matter what the cir- th cumstances were. It’s important for 100 Anniversary As his term was coming to an end us to remember even in this day and last New Year's Eve, outgoing Illinois age that there’s more slavery in the Governor Pat Quinn pardoned post- world than at any time, as the popu- humously three Illinoisans who had lation has expanded." been Underground Railroad safe- house operators and abolitionists in Taking notice of the pardons, Sean the 1800s. Tenner, cofounder of the Abolition In- stitute, a Chicago-based nonprofit or- Getting the pardon requests in front ganization which works to fight mod- of the governor came about through ern-day slavery, observed that, "Hon- the work of Free Press Prize Judge oring these abolitionists is the right Owen Muelder and Illinois Lieutenant thing to do for their families and is Governor Sheila Simon filing petitions helping to energize a new generation on behalf of the three pardoned: fa- of Illinoisans to honor their legacy by ther and son Julius and Samuel Dr. Richard Eells fighting against human trafficking Willard of Jacksonville, Illinois, and and modern-day slavery." Dr. Richard Eells of Quincy. In 1843, Muelder was particularly instrumen- all three were caught harboring free- tal in the Eells pardon because of a Well Worth a Look dom seekers and convicted. Eells was connection between the two men. fined $400. Illinois had abolished Muelder heads the Galesburg Colony Visit Medium.com to view or down- slavery in 1824 but in 1843 federal Underground Railroad Freedom Sta- load White House photographer Pete law still prohibited assisting freedom tion at Knox College; Eells was aided Souza's photographs of the historic seekers in all states. in his flight from Quincy to Chicago 50th anniversary march across the Pet- by Knox College trustee, the Rev. tus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on Said Governor Quinn, "These early Samuel G. Wright. A few years ago, March 7, 2015 warriors for freedom put everything Eells' Quincy home was declared a on the line to help their fellow man, national Underground Railroad his- In your browser's address bar enter and their civil disobedience paved the toric site. https://medium.com/@WhiteHouse way for civil rights. Clearing their /behind-the-lens-selma-50-years- criminal records 171 years later In praising Governor Quinn for par- later-68bf9a3a70, or at medium.com, shows how far we have come, but doning Eells and the Willards, Muel- click the search icon, then enter Be- reminds us all that we should fight der observed, “It’s an effort on their hind the Lens. injustice wherever we find it." part to pardon people who were in 123 Underground Railroad Free Press 3 Two Important New Books on the Underground Railroad in New York City Complement One Another ing the subject. Foner, in his introduction, praises the fact that, “… the Underground Railroad has enjoyed a resurgence as a focus of public history.” He expertly tells the Un- derground Railroad story and reveals the ex- tent to which its operation must be under- stood through its relationship to the broader Please see Books, page 4, column 1 things you can do at Free Press Click on links at urrFreePress.com to do any of the following. Subscribe View or Add to Datebook Send News, Letters, Articles or Ads Join the Community or View Lynx Reviewed by Owen Muelder focused on specific states or regions within states throughout the North.