A Conversation about the Underground Railroad
Journey to Freedom

 

[November 04, 2020] 

A Conversation About the Underground Railroad-Journey to Freedom will be performed live online on Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 7 pm.

This family-friendly performance will feature historian Kathryn Harris and musician Chris Vallillo, who through discussion and song, will explore the realities of the Underground Railroad and how coded information to escape was shared between enslaved populations.

The program will be broadcast live on the Looking for Lincoln’s Facebook page and YouTube Channel. A highlight of all Looking for Lincoln ‘Conversations’ programs is the ability for the virtual audience to ask questions directly to the performers at the end of the event.

Kathryn Harris is a noted Harriet Tubman interpreter and former Director of Library Services at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Chris Vallillo is an award-winning Illinois musician and folklorist, with a natural affinity for American roots music. Together, their joint knowledge will make this one of the most engaging events in the Looking for Lincoln Conversations series.

The program is part of Looking for Lincoln Conversations, a series of live, virtual programs featuring a variety of topics surrounding the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. The series will include conversations with presenters will discussing music associated with early Illinois, the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.

“Looking for Lincoln Conversations provides a unique way to share the story of the life and times of Abraham Lincoln” said Executive Director, Sarah Seiler Watson. “We are able to engage with a virtual audience from throughout the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area and beyond.”

During the Covid-19 event, Looking for Lincoln has been proactively moving its programming online to make it accessible to a wide audience throughout Illinois and the world. The performances will be free to view, and broadcast on Looking for Lincoln’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Looking for Lincoln Conversations is funded by Illinois Humanities and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition is the coordinating entity for the 43-county Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. It is a partnership of organizations and individuals dedicated to enhancing the communities and landscapes of central Illinois through recognition and support of their significant natural, cultural and historical legacies. Few individuals have so profoundly influenced American history as did Abraham Lincoln. Millions around the world are inspired by the story of Lincoln’s rise from humble beginnings to President of the United States, his qualities of integrity and courage and his decisive leadership – traits that carried a fragile nation through one of its most trying periods.

For more information about the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition and the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, go to www.lookingforlincoln.org.

[Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition]