Historian retraces Underground Railroad on “Freedom Walk” to mark America’s 250-year journey

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, one historian is traveling 750 miles to remind Americans where that history has taken us. 

Anthony Cohen, 62, isn’t the first person to make this trek. It’s a path that was once part of the Underground Railroad. a secret network of routes traversed by thousands of enslaved people who had escaped captivity and sought freedom in Canada. 

Cohen, a historian, first traveled the Underground Railroad in 1996 from his home state of Maryland to Ontario, Canada. Since then, he has established the Menare Foundation, which creates immersive, history-based experiences to teach audiences about the Underground Railroad. 

For America’s 250th anniversary, he wanted to again bring the once-treacherous journey into the spotlight. He chose another route, this one from Sandy Spring, Maryland, to Toronto. Cohen says he used “a lot of historic maps” and historical accounts to determine the route, which he calls the “Freedom Walk.” 

The trip has wound through Delaware, New Jersey and New York. A lot of the journey has been on foot, but sometimes Cohen uses other forms of transportation, including a train to upstate New York that closely follows the historic route. 

“Any freedom movement is about putting one foot in front of the other and going for it,” Cohen said. 

He isn’t alone. The Menare Foundation shared a list of stops he would be making, allowing people to come learn about the history and his journey along the way. The Harriet Tubman Journey to Freedom statue is accompanying them on the walk. 

Cohen also invited Tom DeWolf, whose family was once the largest slave-trader in the United States, to join him.

“I said, ‘But I’m a White guy,'” DeWolf said. “And he said, ‘White people, White people helped.’ And then he said ‘You can write a new legacy for your family.'” 

At events, Cohen and DeWolf are speaking about the history of the slave trade, the Underground Railroad and the walk itself. 

Cohen will cross into Canada on July 1. He is slated to arrive in Toronto and complete his journey on July 4, just in time for the 250th anniversary of the United States.