Southern Road to Freedom: Florida’s Underground Railroad
Program Details
The nation’s first Underground Railroad was established in Florida in the late 17th century, servings as a beacon of freedom for runaway slaves from the American South. Existing before the better-known Northern Underground Railroad, enslaved Africans gained their freedom by escaping and earning asylum in Spanish Florida. This presentation focuses on Florida’s early history as a Spanish territory, the escape routes used by runaway slaves, and the black communities they established before the abolition of slavery in the United States.
About Magdalena
Magdalena Lamarre was a Full Professor of History and Sociology at Miami-Dade College. Since her retirement in 2016, she conducts lectures on Florida’s history, culture, diversity, and social justice. Lamarre earned a BA in History and Secondary Education from Hunter College, a MA in History Education from Stony Brook University, and completed post-graduate work in Sociology and Education at Florida International University.
