Category BlackMeccaMuseum   Show all

  • Dec 31 to Jan 2: Our Walk to Freedom

    A flyer promoting the event. The flyer has a picture of Ken Johnston wearing a backpack with a quote that says the goal of the walk is to recall the hardships of slavery and the victory of freedom. The logos of Buxton National Historic Site & Museum, Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society, Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History, and Comfort Inn are included.


    This December, walking artist Ken Johnston will embark on an 8-day, 90-mile Walk to Freedom from Detroit, Michigan to Dresden, Ontario. His journey honours the winter routes taken by Freedom Seekers who escaped enslavement before what became known as “Heartbreak Day.”

    Ken’s walk retraces historic Underground Railroad pathways, connecting with important museums, churches, and community groups throughout the region.

    Walk to Freedom Itinerary:

    Detroit and Area — December 26:
    Detroit Kwanzaa Walk to Freedom
    Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
    Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity House
    Detroit Underground Railroad Museum
    Hart Plaza
    Tower of Freedom, Windsor

    Windsor-Essex — December 27–29:
    Dec 27 — Tower of Freedom → The Historical Sandwich FIRST Baptist Church → LaSalle
    Dec 28 — LaSalle → Amherstburg Freedom Museum
    Dec 29 — Amherstburg Freedom Museum → Harrow

    Chatham-Kent — December 31 to January 2:
    Dec 31 — Buxton National Historic Site & Museum
    Special Q&A with Ken at 12 p.m. — All welcome!
    Jan 1 — Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society & Black Mecca Museum
    Jan 2 — Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History & Dresden Ontario Heritage Trust

    These stops honour the communities that welcomed thousands of Freedom Seekers between 1830 and 1865.

    Fresh from a 165-mile walk from Niagara Falls to Owen Sound, Ken continues to use movement as a powerful tool to bring history to life and inspire conversation — reflecting the legacy of the Underground Railroad and the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom.