History doesn’t always need to be taught in a classroom — and sometimes, classrooms don’t teach all history. At least, this is what Gerry James realized when he came up with the idea to paddle the Kentucky river that led many enslaved people to freedom.
“The goal of this event [is] living history and making it of interest,” James said, who's the deputy campaign director for the Sierra Club's Outdoors for All campaign. “So we're gonna paddle down the Licking River and down the Ohio River — and trace the Underground Railroad.”
Coined “Juneteenth on the Water,” James said his inspiration came in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
“What they're doing is removing history that's been contentious around the country at different national parks, historic sites, and other public parts,” James said.
To share the history, Jason French, Curator of Collections at the Behringer-Crawford Museum, is joining the crew on the water on Friday — he plans to read details of the route as they paddle.
“Certainly in Cincinnati there were so many places that a runaway could just disappear,” he said before the event.
French said for enslaved people seeking freedom, getting a boat could mean the difference between freedom and capture.
“If you could get on the water, it's going to make everything so much easier to make that passage across to Cincinnati,” he said.
The route is symbolic. Even though it’s different from the experience those seeking freedom had to endure, he said it still is an important way to experience history.
This is the goal for the numerous organizations across the Greater Cincinnati area participating in the event. One of them, Adventure Crew, is hoping this is an opportunity to serve a unique opportunity to connect with history for youth of color.
“They're the same rivers that hundreds of people had to face life or death crossing,” said Executive Director Libby Hunter. “So what a powerful and poignant experience to actually be traveling the same path. That's really what it's all about.”
Though organizers are purposely keeping the paddling event small this year to assure safety, Hunter said they also want to raise awareness about Juneteenth for those who hear about it.
“So many people don't even know what the holiday is about,” she said. “I feel like it's really important for us to find ways to keep educating ourselves about what this holiday means and why it's so important to honor it.”
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