Hello.  This blog was setup so that students who participated, or are participating, in the Freedom Trails educational program could share their views on what they have learned about our community’s efforts during the Underground Railroad movement in the early 19th century.  The Freedom Trails initiative was made possible through a grant by the African American Foundation which is a part of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, Indiana.

This project is headed by a steering committee made up of members of the local South Bend and Mishawaka, Indiana communities and focuses upon the history of the Underground Railroad in the local South Bend/Mishawaka and the lower southwestern counties of Michigan.

The steering committee is led by Brother Sage who is a local African American community activist.

The steering committee’s hope is that African American students who participate in this project will use this blog to post their thoughts about what they’ve learned about their African heritage and how the local Underground Railroad movement helped form their culture.

This initiative is also done in cooperation with the Center for History in South Bend, Indiana. You can visit their website: www.centerforhistory.org