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ROYAL OAK — During a panel discussion at 7 p.m. Feb. 28, three historians will be sharing the stories of those involved with the Underground Railroad.
The panel discussion, “Hidden Histories: Stories of Underground Railroad connections with Ontario, Canada,” will take place at the Royal Oak Middle School auditorium, 709 N. Washington Ave. in Royal Oak.
Sponsored by the Royal Oak Historical Society as part of its speaker series, there will be no charge for the event.
Irene Moore Davis, Leslie S. Edwards and Leslie Pielack are the spotlight speakers for this discussion, and they are each talking about a different topic related to the Underground Railroad.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Karen Marrero, a historian and history professor at Wayne State University.
Each speaker will spend 10 minutes making a PowerPoint presentation. The discussion will be representing six stories of African Americans who were involved in the Underground Railroad in Detroit, and Canada, so each presenter will be showcasing two individuals.
“We are really excited to have Irene Moore Davis join us,” said Edwards, who volunteers with the historical society. “She is a renowned historian in Canada who has won many awards and is a direct descendant of formerly enslaved ancestors who crossed the Detroit River to freedom.”
Edwards said her part of the presentation is focused on two African Americans who lived in Royal Oak in the 19th century.
“I was asked to do research on one person, and that grew and mushroomed into many people and a community that most people don’t know existed in Royal Oak at that time,” she said. “My part in this is to talk about two individuals who purchased land in Royal Oak in the late 1840s.”
Edwards will be telling the stories of one Black man who was born enslaved and self-emancipated. He became a conductor for the Underground Railroad and then purchased land in Royal Oak in 1847 with the intent to encourage Black people in Detroit to become land owners, she said.
The other person she is highlighting was a free Black man born in Virginia to formerly enslaved parents; he ended up moving his family to Detroit in the mid-1840s and also bought land in Royal Oak.
“Did the other man bring him here? Did he know him? Probably. But is there proof, no, and that’s the whole thing about the Underground Railroad,” she said. “It was underground for a reason. Finding these documents is a challenge.”
Johanna Schurrer, curator of the Royal Oak Historical Society Museum, said that the three speakers have a distinguished background in history.
Davids is a Canadian educator, public historian and community advocate, according to a press release sent out by the Royal Oak Historical Society. She is also a sixth generation Underground Railroad descendent and daughter of an Afro Caribbean immigrant.
Edwards is an archivist and historian who uses primary source documents and is particularly interested in uncovering the lesser-known stories of marginalized individuals. She volunteers at the Royal Oak Historical Society as an archivist and historian.
Pielack is a historian, director of the Birmingham Museum and project director of the award-winning, multi-community public history research project documenting the Underground Railroad in Oakland County.
“It’s Black History Month, so it’s a great time to have these discussions,” Edwards said. “It’s new information that people, certainly in Oakland County, don’t know about. We are hoping to even get people far and wide, even international people coming, because of Irene’s connection.”
The Royal Oak Historical Society is also sponsoring two related exhibits during Black History Month, including “A Tangled Web: Stories of African Americans in 19th Century Royal Oak” and “The Underground Railroad in Oakland County,” a traveling exhibit.
“This speaker program is important with the exhibit that we have at the museum; we want to continue to do research on the people (involved in the Underground Railroad) we have found in Royal Oak,” Schurrer said.
After the speakers give their 10-minute presentations, the floor will open up for a Q&A session from the audience.
The panel discussion is free of charge. To register, visit royaloakhistoricalsociety.com/shop/ols/categories/museum-presentations. Donations are being accepted to help future exhibits and events.
