Honoring Juneteenth: Maryland Freedom Seekers on the Underground Railroad with Local Author Jenny Masur

Location: Chevy Chase Library (MD), 8005 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, MD. 20815

Join us with local author Jenny Masur as she discusses how Maryland was the starting point of many freedom seekers. Come hear their stories of initiative, determination and courage.

Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation or Freedom Day, is now a federal holiday commemorating the date June 19, 1865, when the last Confederate community of enslaved Americans received word, they were free.

For additional assistance or inquiries about this program, contact the Chevy Chase Library at 240-773-9590.

This book is available in print and digital formats through Montgomery County Public Libraries.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Maryland was the starting point of many unsung heroes of the Underground Railroad. Freedom seekers embarked on the perilous journey from slavery to freedom in whatever way they could. John Thompson signed onto a whaling ship. James Watkins sailed to England and became a lecturer on slavery. Hester Norman fled, was caught and was rescued by the Black community in her husband’s Pennsylvania town. They used ruses and found allies to elude slave catchers but lived in constant fear until they obtained their freedom papers. In their adventures, these freedom seekers used initiative, determination and courage. These qualities served them well as they achieved freedom.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenny Masur is a native Washingtonian. She worked for seventeen years for the National Park Service as national capital region manager for the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Her doctorate is in anthropology, and her interest in individual lives dates from the book Jewish Grandmothers, which she coedited while in graduate school. Her respect for the heroes of the Underground Railroad continues to grow. (Author Summary taken from her book, Maryland Freedom Seekers on the Underground Railroad).