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Historian retraces Underground Railroad on "Freedom Walk" to mark America's 250-year journey
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- Historian Anthony Cohen is retracing a 750-mile route of the Underground Railroad from Maryland to Toronto to highlight the history of enslaved people's escape to freedom for the United States' 250th anniversary.
- Cohen, founder of the Menare Foundation, uses immersive historical experiences to educate the public about the Underground Railroad and has mapped the journey using historic documents, calling it the "Freedom Walk."
- The route passes through Delaware, New Jersey, and New York, with Cohen traveling mostly on foot and occasionally by train, accompanied by the Harriet Tubman Journey to Freedom statue.
- Tom DeWolf, descendant of a major slave-trading family, joined Cohen to confront and rewrite his family's legacy, with both speaking at events about slavery, the Underground Railroad, and the significance of the walk.
- Cohen plans to complete the journey by crossing into Canada on July 1 and arriving in Toronto on July 4, coinciding with the U.S. 250th anniversary celebrations.
