Flight to Freedom (Two 60-minute programs)

Tells the complete story of the underground railroad. Host Cicely Tyson narrates this profile of the people, places and events behind one of the most remarkable yet largely untold chapters of American history.

The documentary chronicles the rise of the slave system and follows the many freedom trails northward — from Memphis up the Mississippi, from Kentucky across the Ohio River to Ripley and Oberlin, from Maryland to Philadelphia, through upstate New York and into Canada. It concentrates on the men and women of all races who served on or who were saved by the underground railroad. And while the civil war put an end to the need for the railroad, “Flight to Freedom” reveals situations where slavery stopped in name only. The program also tells the modern day story of the growing efforts to preserve what little legacy remains of the underground railroad — how communities are trying to save onetime station houses and how people are retracing the trail their great grandparents took to Canada.

Part I Airs on WXXI-TV May 7, 2018 at 2:00 am (1 hour program)
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Part II Airs on WXXI-TV May 14, 2018 at 2:00 am (1 hour program)
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