September marks International Underground Railroad Month, and the McNichols Campus Library and the Black Abolitionist Archive are celebrating with a display of three banners in the lobby of the McNichols Campus Library.
The banners are loaned to the Libraries thanks to the Michigan Freedom Trail Commission and Michigan History Center. Current students and employees are welcome to view these banners and read more about them in accompanying texts written by Professor of History and Director of the Black Abolitionist Archive Roy E. Finkenbine.
The banners will be on display throughout September and will be viewable during McNichols Campus Library hours, which are available on the Libraries website.
International Underground Railroad Month commemorates freedom seekers from enslavement and human trafficking worldwide. Supporters of this commemoration chose the month of September because that’s when Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman liberated themselves.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan first proclaimed International Underground Railroad Month in September 2019. Last year, 11 states, multiple cities and counties recognized the month, including Michigan, following a proclamation by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
In 2021, the global community and Indigenous nations are becoming more involved in the effort, recognizing the scope of freedom seeking throughout history and across a broad geography. The logo for International Underground Railroad Month suggests the themes of global involvement and movement, and foregrounds the freedom seekers themselves.