Exploring Virginia’s Waterways and the Underground Railroad

The Slover Library Foundation, on behalf of the Brinkley Family Memorial Lecture Series, proudly presents an enlightening lecture on “Virginia Waterways and the Underground Railroad” with Dr. Cassandra L. Newby-Alexander on Thursday, Feb. 22, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Slover (235 E. Plume St., Norfolk).

From the time enslaved Virginians were first brought to the Jamestown Colony in 1619, they sought freedom. Acts of self-emancipation were aided by Virginia’s waterways, which became part of the Underground Railroad network in the years before the Civil War. Watermen who were willing to help escaped slaves made eighteenth-century Norfolk a haven for freedom seekers, with enslaved individuals serving as conductors, and black and white sympathizers acting as station masters.

Newby-Alexander, Endowed Professor of Virginia Black History and Culture at Norfolk State University, will share compelling narratives of individuals who navigated these waterways, seeking humanity’s dream of freedom amidst the harsh realities of enslavement.

This event is free and open to the public and includes hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the lecture. Online registration is encouraged but not required at https://bit.ly/3OCgQEv.