Digging Into the Past

Abolitionists and Freedom Seekers

with

President of the New Bedford Historical Society

Lee Blake

 May 17, 2017 at 1pm   Free with Museum Admission

In the mid-19th century, New Bedford was the richest city in the world due to its whaling fleet. New Bedford was also known as a racially tolerant community that provided a safe place for those running away from the tyranny of slavery. The whaling industry was a major draw for freedom seekers and it provided a quick means of escape on ships often captained and owned by sympathetic Quakers. Who were these runaways and what were their experiences in the port cities of Southeastern MA?  What citizens stood on the right side of history and supported their right to be free from enslavement? Share an informative afternoon hearing the stories of the abolitionist movement and those who fought for freedom for their enslaved sisters and brothers.

Lee Blake serves as president of the New Bedford Historical Society where she creates and implements programs that highlight local history.  Lee serves as co-director for Sailing to Freedom: New Bedford and the Underground Railroad, a National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks Summer Institute for Teachers that highlights New Bedford’s role in the Underground Railroad and the Abolitionist Movement.

In her day job, she currently serves as Director of the Campus Compact at the University of MA Dartmouth, connecting university programs to K-12 schools in the South Coast of Massachusetts and presents teacher professional development workshops.