History of Slavery - Obama Inauguration Event

SLAVERY & FREEDOM IN A WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD
FREE PUBLIC WALKING TOUR MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2009

Mark this historic inauguration week by joining us for a free, hour-long walking tour, "From Slavery to Freedom in Adams Morgan," on Monday, January 19 at 10:30 a.m. starting at the Sun Trust Bank Plaza at 18th Street and Columbia Road, N.W. Washington, DC 20009. About an 8 minute walk from the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan Red Line Metro Train. Metro Buses nearby 42, L2, H1 90, 92, 96, or 98, get off at 18th and Columbia Road NW.

We’ll walk first to Kalorama Park, where, in 1861, an enslaved young woman named Hortense Prout made a daring bid for freedom from a lifetime of bondage on the cattle farm of John Little. Because of Hortense’s courageous effort, the National Park Service has just named Kalorama Park a "National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom" site.

We'll then walk to Walter C. Pierce Community Park, the site of Washington's first Quaker cemetery and the city’s largest African American burial ground following the Civil War. Howard University archeologists, with the support of the community, are conducting a unique, non-invasive (no digging!) survey of Walter Pierce Park to determine where unmarked graves still exist so they can be protected and commemorated.

Please join us for this special journey into our city’s past! Neighborhood historians Mary Belcher and Eddie Becker will lead the walk, rain or shine. No RSVP required. Questions? Call Mary Belcher at 202-462-9069, or write Eddie Becker at eddie_becker(at)yahoo(d0t)com. This walk is co-sponsored by Washington Parks & People and the Kalorama Citizens Association.