News Release
Shawn Halifax
News Release Date: October 1, 2021
Contact: Amanda Pollock
Church Creek, MD – The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program hosted its “International Underground Railroad Month Closing Ceremony.” At this event, the Network to Freedom Program announced the winners of its Network to Freedom Awards, the winner of the first Network to Freedom Photo Contest, and highlighted its newest listings accepted in its 42nd Round of Applications.
For many states, September represents International Underground Railroad Month. The State of Maryland first proclaimed September as International Underground Railroad Month because it was the month that two of the most well-known freedom seekers and Underground Railroad operatives, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, escaped from slavery. The Network to Freedom’s role in commemoration is to bring communities with sites, facilities, and programs with documented connections to the Underground Railroad together and provide them with an opportunity to engage with these stories in a new way, and to provide specialized content that highlights the Underground Railroad’s international connections. To close out the commemorative month in 2021, the Network to Freedom reviewed the past year and celebrates the accomplishments of its members.
Network to Freedom Awards are presented to individuals who have done outstanding work supporting the Underground Railroad Community. This year, the Network to Freedom presents:
The Wilbur Siebert Award for Exemplary Underground Railroad Research, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of Underground Railroad, is presented to Ser Boxley. A native from Natchez, Mississippi, he has worked tirelessly to preserve the Forks of the Road, one of the largest slave markets in the U.S. His desire is to honor the memories of those Africans who contributed to Natchez’s history. Boxley's efforts paid off when Forks of the Road was recently added to Natchez National Historical Park.
The Frederick Douglass Underground Railroad Legacy Awardrecognizes individuals who continue Douglass’s important legacy of promoting social change by engaging in activism that addresses contemporary social issues. They also embody the spirit of the Underground Railroad, working across class, racial, gender, political, or whatever other lines that divide us, to make the world a better place. This award is presented to Joseph McGill, Civil War re-enactor and a descendant of enslaved people. He is the History and Culture Coordinator at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston, SC and is the founder and executive director of the Slave Dwelling Project. The Slave Dwelling Project identifies and helps preserve extant slave dwellings. Joe has reached close to 150 sites in over 25 states and the District of Columbia at historic locations by conducting programs, lectures and spending nights in the dwellings.
The Robert G. Stanton Award for Network to Freedom Partners, which recognizes steadfast supporters of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, is presented to Roane Smothers (1955-2021). An urban planner by profession, Smothers was passionate about historic preservation. He was instrumental in getting the Clemens Farmstead (Ohio) and the Union Literary Institute (Indiana) listed in the Network and securing grants to ensure these sites were around for future generations. A constant presence at national Underground Railroad conferences, he did everything in his power to always be in attendance, and share the important history of Longtown, an early 19th century multi-racial settlement. He was also a member of Indiana Freedom Trails, a statewide volunteer organization "working to locate, to identify, to verify, to protect, to preserve, and to promote those Indiana sites and routes as part of the National Underground Railroad Network."
Lastly, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program announced the winner of the first Network to Freedom Photo Contest. The winning photograph, “Towards daybreak they marched on calling out Liberty” by Shawn Halifax, depicts the Network to Freedom Listing, “Stono Slave Rebellion at the Elliot and Rose Plantations.” The photograph will be featured as the banner photo on the Network to Freedom’s Facebook page.
At the International Underground Railroad Month Closing Ceremony, the Network to Freedom program also highlighted the newest Network to Freedom Listings.
About the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom serves to honor, preserve, and promote the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, which continues to inspire people worldwide. The Network currently represents over 695 locations in 39 states, plus Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Through its mission, the Network to Freedom helps to advance the idea that all human beings embrace the right to self-determination and freedom from oppression.
Last updated: October 1, 2021