Join Adrienne Shadd for a conversation about her book. Meticulously researched and based on never-before-published information on the African-Canadian community of Toronto, this book recounts the journeys of brave travellers, and the network of clandestine routes and safe houses they traversed on the underground railroad seeking freedom in Toronto, and their captivating life after they arrive.
By the Lake Book Club offers six Tuesday-night events, between February and December featuring leading Canadian authors in conversation with Humber College graduates and alumni. Each in-person event includes a reading, discussion, audience Q&A and book-signing. Virtual events include live subtitles, online viewing and audio.
Stories of the hopeful, brave people who fled slavery and made Toronto their home.
“An engaging and highly readable account of the lives of Black people in Toronto in the 1800s.” — Lawrence Hill, bestselling author of The Illegal
The Underground Railroad: Next Stop, Toronto! explores Toronto’s role as a destination for thousands of freedom seekers before the American Civil War. This new edition traces pathways taken by people, enslaved and free, who courageously made the trip north in search of liberty and offers new biographies, images, and information, some of which is augmented by a 2015 archaeological dig in downtown Toronto.
Within its pages are stories of courageous men, women, and children who overcame barriers of prejudice and racism to create homes, institutions, and a rich and vibrant community life in Canada’s largest city. These brave individuals established organizations not only to help newcomers but also to oppose the ongoing slavery in the United States and to resist racism in their adopted city.
Based entirely on original research, The Underground Railroad offers fresh insights into the rich heritage of African Americans who became African Canadians and helped build Toronto as we know the city today.