Dr. Arthur Pitz will discuss slavery and the struggle for freedom in his presentation The Underground Railroad on Tuesday, April 8th at 7:00 p.m. at the Moline Public Library (3210 41st Street). This program is free and does not require registration.
The Underground Railroad is presented as part of the six-week series Created Equal and Changing America, which explores our nation's civil rights history through film, exhibition, and presentations. More information about the series can be found at molinelibrary.com/createdequal or by contacting the Moline Public Library at 309-524-2470.
The Underground Railroad wasn't a railroad and it wasn't underground, but it had "conductors" and hiding places. It was hazardous to participate; nonetheless, there were a significant number of abolitionists who risked breaking this law. This area saw participants involved in aiding fugitive slaves escape to freedom. Dr. Pitz will discuss how much we know of this railroad in our vicinity, how it worked, and its significance.
Historian and Professor Dr. Arthur Pitz has taught extensively throughout the Quad Cities for over 40 years. He received his PhD in U.S. History from Northern Illinois University. In 2000, he was the first ever recipient of Black Hawk College's Diversity Award and in 2009, was appointed guest curator by the Putnam Museum to create the exhibit Davenport's Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1974.
Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle is made possible through a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as part of its Bridging Cultures initiative, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Changing America is presented by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The traveling exhibition is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.
Local support for Created Equal and Changing America has been provided by Friends of the Moline Public Library, WQPT, and The Moline Dispatch/Rock Island Argus/QCOnline.
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