Meet at the Lake at 1:00pm

This workshop uncovers the history of the Underground Railroad in Downtown Brooklyn and pays tribute to the memory and activism of New York abolitionists.

Participants will discuss the history of slavery in New York State and the waves of freedom movements that followed. Participants will use archival resources, including maps, speeches, and legal documents, to understand how different groups of people established communities in Downtown Brooklyn. Special attention will be paid to the uses of food and edible medicinal plants in abolition work.

Participants will go on a walking tour to several Underground Railroad sites. Everyone is invited to participate in a public performance of leaving botanicals at the historical abolition sites.