History as the spark for human potential
The Menare Foundation was founded on the groundbreaking work of historian Anthony Cohen, who embarked on a two month journey in 1996 to explore a tragically overlooked part of American history—the Underground Railroad—the secret network which thousands of self-liberators traveled to attain their freedom.
Cohen began his trek in Sandy Spring, Maryland traveling a distance of 1,200 miles by foot, boat and rail arriving in Amherstburg, Ontario on July 7, 1996. Following this success Cohen embarked on second walk in 1998 traveling three months from Mobile, Alabama to Windsor, Ontario; his story appearing in numerous radio, television and print sources.
In 1998 Cohen prepared television icon Oprah Winfrey for her role as Sethe in the motion picture BELOVED. Blindfolded and dropped on a Maryland plantation, Cohen transported Oprah back to virtual landscape of slavery, where for two days and nights she was to live as a self-liberator on a simulated Underground Railroad—an experience she later claimed as an inspiration for her change-your-life TV show. As a result of the groundswell of interest following Oprah’s experience, Cohen established The Menare Foundation, Inc. in 2000 to create immersive history-based experiences.
Mission
The Menare Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of the Underground Railroad legacy and to the creation of vibrant experiential programs that use history as a spark for human potential.
Vision
In the years before the Civil War, the Underground Railroad was a secret network of people places that helped fugitive slaves escape to freedom. The runaways took refuge amidst the fields, thickets, swamps, and waterways of the slave states. Following these byways to Northern towns, they gained assistance and shelter from abolitionists and sympathizers who guided them along their way. Today, these former Underground Railroad stations remain as landmarks to the historic struggle, while countless undocumented sites stand forgotten, in disrepair, and at risk of being destroyed.
Under the theme “R.I.D.E. The Underground Railroad” the Menare Foundation engages diverse communities to preserve this vital legacy in the following ways:
RESTORE what is in danger of destruction. Preserve and maintain what is left of the Underground Railroad for present and future generations.
INTERPRET Underground Railroad history through innovative programs. Bring the story of slavery and the struggle for freedom to life as an example of inspiration in the present.
DOCUMENT and authenticate Underground Railroad sites by providing primary source records and verifying oral histories.
EDUCATE people about the Underground Railroad movement and its relevancy in the modern world through the creation of interactive programs, lectures, publications, films and study guides for educators and students.