Walk to Freedom: Niagara Falls to Owen Sound, Ontario

Freedom is fraught with perils and promise.

For the past five years, I have traced the footsteps of Freedom Seekers across parts of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and lower Ontario.

This July, I hope to complete the final leg of an 850-mile walk I started in 2019 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, by walking into the 163rd Emancipation Festival in Owen Sound honoring American and Canadian ancestors who sought their freedom in Grey County, Ontario.

The goal of the walk is to celebrate and recognize the tremendous work of the Emancipation Festival committee, the descendants, and Owen Sound community members, who have worked tirelessly over the past 163 years to remember the day over 800,000 enslaved people became free across the British Commonwealth.

I am seeking both monetary and non-monetary assistance. I hope to raise $2,800.00 to assist with expenses I anticipate incurring during the journey. I have some personal savings to start, but I will quickly exhaust them after about one week on the road. Donations in the amount of $100, $50, or even $25 will be greatly appreciated to assist with meals, transportation, equipment, lodging, and emergency trip insurance for the 16-day journey to reach the Northern Terminus of the Underground Railroad.

History

The storied Underground Railroad they followed is described by historian Charles Blockson as "that mysterious, formidable enemy of slavocracy – with an uncompromising commitment to freedom," frequently begins and ends with Freedom Seekers leaving the Confederate States of America and fleeing north to Canada where the U.S. narrative abruptly ends at the Canadian border, the thinly veiled line of the biblical Cannon.

Tales of Harriet Tubman, Josiah Henson, William Parker, Abraham Galloway, Rev. Jermain Wesley Loguen, Frederick Douglass, and 30,000 other Freedom Seekers who courageously made the journey north often concludes with them finding sanctuary just across the Canadian border in Ontario, Canada. Some stayed and some returned to the U.S.

Slavery ended in Canada with the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, when Britain officially, and unceremoniously with the stroke of a pen, quit the most lucrative and morally reprehensible business the empire had ever known - with no apology.

Searching for work opportunities and greater safety after the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act in the U.S., some Freedom Seekers pushed the boundaries of the Underground Railroad further into Canada West, or present-day Ontario, creating a new terminus of the Underground Railroad in Owen Sound (formerly known as Sydenham), about 165 miles north of the Niagara Falls, New York.

Descendants

Today, descendants of those original Freedom Seekers continue to celebrate their ancestors' hard-earned liberty by hosting an annual Emancipation Festival. The festival originally called the Emancipation Day Picnic commemorates the Slavery Abolition Act which became official on August 1, 1834.

Since 1862, descendants of those who escaped slavery and found freedom and peace in Canada, have gathered in Owen Sound`s beautiful Harrison Park and other places such as the Grey Roots Museum and Archives over the Civic holiday weekend. This is a time for fellowship and reflection with family and community, to share memories, and to keep the picnic and other traditions alive for future generations.

Assistance

In addition to donations, non-monetary assistance is also very helpful. We are reaching out to the world of abundance in Ontario to seek help with overnight accommodations for two in Grimsby, 7/20, Hamilton, 7/21, Millgrove, 7/22, Puslinch, 7/23, Guelph, 7/24, Fergus, 7/25, Arthur, 7/27, Mt Forest, 7/28, Varney, 7/29, and Williamsford, 7/30.

Information pertaining to welcoming host families, churches, schools and retreat centers near Highway 6 in Ontario would be greatly appreciated. We are also interested in meeting with community or church groups after each days walk.

With great appreciation,

Ken Johnston

Walk to Freedom

Canadian Emancipation Day Parade