Freedom Seekers with Larry A. McClellan
Black History Month Program Focus is the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois
Larry A. McClellan, emeritus professor of sociology and community studies at Governors State University, will present a program on his book, “Onward to Chicago,” which uncovers stories of the Underground Railroad freedom network in northeastern Illinois, Sun., Feb. 4, 2 p.m., Ridge Historical Society, 10621 S. Seeley Ave.
McClellan will share his work and personal experiences in developing a deeper, broader insight into the freedom seekers and their impact on local history.
“Onward to Chicago” was published by Southern Illinois University Press and released last summer. According to the press website, Illinois’s status as a free state beckoned enslaved people decades before the Civil War, and traditional histories of the Underground Railroad in Illinois start in 1839.
Larry A. McClellan reframes the story, not only introducing readers to earlier freedom seekers, but also illustrating that those who bravely aided them were Black and white, men and women. McClellan features dozens of individuals who made dangerous journeys to reach freedom as well as residents in Chicago and across northeastern Illinois who made a deliberate choice to break the law to help.
“Onward to Chicago” shows how Chicago emerged as a point of refuge for freedom seekers, and how the I & M Canal created opportunities for Black men, women, and children to escape slavery. “From eluding authorities to confronting kidnapping bands working out of St. Louis and southern Illinois, these stories of valor are inherently personal. Through deep research into local sources, McClellan presents the engrossing, entwined journeys of freedom seekers and the activists in Chicagoland who supported them,” the website says.
McClellan’s book won the 2023 Underground Railroad Free Press Hortense Simmons Memorial Prize for Advancement of Knowledge.
McClellan has been instrumental in adding listings to the National Park Service Network to Freedom register of the Underground Railroad, and is President of the Little Calumet Underground Railroad Project. He is the author of “The Underground Railroad South of Chicago” and “To the River: The Remarkable Journey of Caroline Quarlls, a Freedom Seeker on the Underground Railroad.”
McClellan will have his book, “Onward to Chicago” available for purchase at the event.
Admission to the presentation is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Space is limited and tickets or reservations are required. Info and RSVP at: 773-881-1675 or ridgehistory@hotmail.com. Get tickets at bit.ly/RHS-freedom.