Join in on any of these free online talks! Videos are posted as soon as available under “Past Talks” below.
Second Tuesdays at 7 pm central time (with a few exceptions). Register for the series at https://bit.ly/freecorr16.
August 11, 2026: From Slave to State Legislator with David Joens
September 8, 2026: Slavery and Capitalism with David McNally
October 13, 2026: The McWorter Family Tree with Cherié L. Weible
November 10, 2026: Free Black Communities and the Underground Railroad with Cheryl Janifer LaRoche
December 8, 2026: Freedom Trails Commission, an update from Larry McClellan, Abdul Alkalimat, and the to-be-named commissioners
Past talks
July 14, 2026: The Patriots’ Dilemma with Tim Messer-Kruse video
May 19, 2026: The Underground Railroad in Illinois with Glennette Tilley Turner video slides website bonus video
April 28, 2026: Freedom Ship with Marcus Rediker video
March 10, 2026: Freedomseeking in Illinois K-12 curricula with Asif Wilson video | https://socialstudies.education.illinois.edu/ (includes resources Asif referred to, as they are published)
January 13, 2026: The Cairo African American Heritage Trail and Oral History Project with Don Patton video | https://historicalcairo.com (site has the video Don showed)
January 28, 2025: Report from the Illinois State Task Force on the Underground Railroad with Larry McClellan and Gerald McWorter. Video, Larry’s slides, Task Force final report.
November 19, 2024: Black Women’s Activism in Rural Arkansas with Cherisse Jones-Branch. Video part 1, video part 2, Cherisse’s slides.
October 15, 2024: The Underground Railroad in Western Illinois with Owen Muelder. Video, Owen’s slides.
September 17, 2024: Reconstruction as it Happened in the Nation’s Capital with Kate Masur. Video.
August 20, 2024: Quincy’s Radical Abolitionists and the Illinois Anti-Slavery Society with Terrell Dempsey and Patrick Hotle. Video.
July 16, 2024: How Reconstruction Lasted Until Women Could Vote with Manisha Singh. Video.
June 25, 2024: Consumption Junction: Analyzing Material Culture from New Philadelphia and Rural and Racial Divides with Kati Faye. Video from our hosting partner the New Philadelphia Association.
May 21, 2024: 1791 to Today: Found Journals, Freemen with Fatima Shaik. Sorry, video is not available for this talk but see her similar talk at https://acloserwalknola.com/places/economy-hall/.
April 16, 2024: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad: Reframing the Conversation with Larry McClellan. Video.
Freedom Corridor
