Preparing to Walk 750 Miles

Retracing Routes of the Underground Railroad

Interest is growing for #FreedomWalk2026, as evidenced by this interview with Anthony Cohen on NBC4 in Washington DC, and this article in the Fredericksburg Free Press.

An important part of my preparation for embarking soon on #FreedomWalk2026 has been researching the history of the Underground Railroad.

As most people who have read my books, joined me for a book event or training workshop, or have watched Traces of the Trade, are already aware, I’m descended from the largest slave-trading dynasty in U.S. history. Ancestors of mine were responsible for kidnapping more than 10,000 African people and delivering them into lifelong slavery in Cuba (and other Caribbean islands), South America and North America. Estimates are that half a million of their descendants are alive today.

My research has focused on the slave trade, genealogy and healing, with a strong focus on Coming to the Table, Strategies for Trauma Awareness & Resilience, Restorative Justice, and the use of the Circle Process throughout this important work. Since committing to joining historian Anthony Cohen in walking the Underground Railroad route he walked alone 30 years ago, I’ve been taking a deep dive into learning more about this amazing chapter in our nation’s history. For those of you who want to know more about the Underground Railroad, here are four books and a film that have helped me learn SO much about the commitment and resilience of freedom seekers who risked their very lives to escape enslavement as well as the many people, black and white, who helped them…

Colson Whitehead’s novel, The Underground Railroad, won the Pulitzer Prize. The horror that enslaved people experienced and the unbelievable courage combined with desperation that led people to run away, knowing that if they’re caught, they are going to be tortured and murdered is harrowing and powerful to read. For more info, read my review.

Bound for Canaan, by Fergus M. Bordewich, is non-fiction. My review reads, “A powerful, moving, important and enlightening book about one of the darkest chapters in American history. Sadly, this is the kind of book people want to ban in certain areas. I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to understand all of American history, not just the ‘land of the free, home of the brave’ parts.”

Kay Clifford Larson’s Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero, is such an important book. Like most people with a standard, public school education, I learned some basic facts about Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth along with more details about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other major historical figures of U.S. history. If you haven’t read much beyond what is taught in typical classrooms about Harriet Tubman, I’m sure you’ll find this book as astounding as I did. Read my review.

I continue to be surprised by what I learn. With my interest in genealogy, it turns out that I am distantly related to Isaac Hopper, one of the most significant Underground Railroad “conductors” in the late 18th and first half of the 19th centuries in Philadelphia and New York. Hopper helped around 1,000 people to escape enslavement and live in freedom. I look forward to visiting the house where he lived in New York City. Lamb’s Warrior: The Life of Isaac T. Hopper, by Margaret Hope Bacon is a great book for learning more about Isaac Hopper. Read my review.

The film Harriet, starring Cynthia Erivo as abolitionist Harriet Tubman (for which she was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, Golden Globe and NAACP Image Award), is a wonderful cinematic introduction to the life and work of this true American hero. You can watch a preview of the film here.

Finally, Coming to the Table has put together a page on the website filled with resources for this Year of Liberation, the 20^th anniversary of the founding of CTTT, the 30^th anniversary of Tony Cohen’s initial Underground Railroad walk, and the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Click HERE to learn more.

I’m grateful to have these, and many more, resources for learning about the Underground Railroad. The next time you hear from me will be once we begin #FreedomWalk2026 in early May!