PA QUEST FOR FREEDOM COMPANION BOOK SERIES EXAMINES THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD AND CIVIL WAR
HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the return of the Pennsylvania Quest for Freedom Live and Learn Weekends, which offer a forum for a unique dialogue on race, culture, and the Underground Railroad.
The events, which are free of charge, allow participants to discover the stories of the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania through a book series, conversations, and living history experiences that explore the past and present along Pennsylvania's Civil War Trails.
"Pennsylvania is committed to sharing our stories of the Underground Railroad and the role it played in shaping the history of our state and our nation," Governor Rendell said. "Through this unique program, Pennsylvania citizens and visitors can explore the sacrifices our ancestors made to preserve the union, protect the commonwealth, and achieve the Quest for Freedom."
A four-part series of Quest for Freedom Live and Learn Weekends will be held during 2009 in various locations in Pennsylvania. During each weekend, participants will discuss the selected book, take part in historic site tours, and meet with living history experts to hear the incredible stories of those who lived during this time in American history. Participants also will be encouraged to spend more time in these communities that were so deeply affected by the Underground Railroad and Civil War.
The 2009 Live and Learn series features books which explore race and culture through the themes of flight, resistance, social change, and self-empowerment. The series begins with, "The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Lincoln and the Triumph of Anti-Slavery Politics." This account by historian James Oakes sheds new light on the central issues of slavery, race, and equality in the Civil War era. Opponents at first, Lincoln and Douglass gradually became allies, and their meetings in the White House signaled a profound shift in the direction of the Civil War, and in the fate of the United States.
Live and Learn discussions of this informative book will take place Feb. 6-7 in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Chambersburg/Carlisle.
Visit www.paquestforfreedom.com to register and learn more about all four of the participating locations and dates. Suggested books can be ordered online at www.pabookstore.com/pastbo.html. Free books will be provided by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council to the first 50 people who register for each book weekend.
Quest for Freedom and the Live and Learn Weekends are projects of the Pennsylvania Tourism Office. Jump Street, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC), and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) are co-sponsors of the Quest for Freedom Live and Learn Weekends. Jump Street provides tour guides to Underground Railroad sites and first-person living history personas who will engage in dialogue about their own Quests for Freedom. PHC offers trained scholars and facilitators for the events. PHMC assists sites in the evaluation of their historic assets and provides articles on the Underground Railroad though Heritage Magazine.
American Urban Radio Network and The New Pittsburgh Courier also have provided promotional support for this project.
Pennsylvania is proud to be a partner with the National Park Services Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The Network to Freedom program is a diverse collection of resources comprised of historic sites, facilities and programs that have a verifiable association to the Underground Railroad; and, tells the story of resistance against the institution of slavery in the United States through escape and flight. Pennsylvania has more than 30 sites, facilities and programs certified by the Network to Freedom.
The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: www.governor.state.pa.us.
CONTACT:
Chuck Ardo
717-783-1116
Michael Chapaloney
717-720-1301 (Tourism)
