The Underground Railroad was neither underground, nor a railroad, but a network of safe houses, trails and hiding places for those seeking freedom from the early 1800s through the end of the Civil War.

Our speaker this month, Cheryl Brown, will be giving a first-person presentation about this network. She'll talk about the many "passengers" as well as the "conductors" and "stockholders" who made the journey to freedom possible for over 30,000 former slaves.

Cheryl Brown and her husband own and publish The Black Voice weekly newspaper in the Inland Empire. She became interested in the Underground Railroad when she was invited as a journalist to see this part of history firsthand in Ohio, Detroit and Canada. She was taken aback at how much of this was new information to her, and saw for herself the places people had to hide in order to gain the freedom our country fought for in the Revolutionary War.

When she returned, she continued to write articles on her travels, and came to the attention of the local school district. The district was having trouble teaching about slavery, and students were getting misinformation. The district came to her to begin a program, and she is now in her 11th year of leading eight-day, integrated trips specifically for educators to learn about this important part of our history.

Cheryl is an award-winning journalist, who hosted her own public-affairs television show on KCSB-TV in San Bernardino for 12 years. She has been married for 45 years to Hardy Brown, and they have four children and eight grandchildren. They make their home in the Inland Empire.

Please join us as we learn more about the Underground Railroad, and the pathway to freedom.


Janet Whaley
Program Chair