Anthony Cohen

He began the trek at Sandy Spring, MD, traveling a distance of 1,200 miles, reaching his final destination point of Amherstburg, Ontario, on July 7, 1996. During the journey, Cohen retraced the steps that slaves made along waterways and rail lines to churches and Quaker sanctuaries.

Following the success of his first walk Cohen embarked on another in 1998, traveling three months from Mobile, Alabama to Windsor, Ontario. Spring 2003 will bring his third and final expedition as he follows the route of his great-great grand uncle who fled slavery in Savannah, GA for freedom in Canada in 1851. This journey will be chronicled in a feature-length documentary, The Underground Railroad: A Personal Journey, to be released nationwide in February 2004.

He hopes his efforts and the publication of his book will result in a greater awareness and understanding of the Railroad’s importance in America’s history. “The Underground Railroad is really one of the most positive aspects of our heritage, although it grew out of one of the most insidious chapters in our history,” he says.

Cohen continues to share the story of his trip in lectures for audiences across America. He has served as a consultant to the National Parks Conservation Association, Maryland Public Television, and NASA, among others, and trained Oprah Winfrey for her role as Sethe in the 1998 film Beloved. Cohen currently serves as Executive Director of The Menare Foundation, Inc., a national non-profit working to restore Underground Railroad safe houses nationwide.

His speeches offer audiences a special understanding of the Underground Railroad’s place in American history. His colorful descriptions of his experiences on the Railroad enable listeners to follow him as he passes through the secret hiding places slaves used over a century ago on their way to freedom. They hear the harrowing tale of how he was secretly shipped inside a wooden crate aboard a train from Philadelphia to New York (as a slave once was), and see themselves walking with him as he travels the countryside at night, guided by the North Star. In addition to recounting his journal, Cohen also tells inspiring stories about Americans who have not given up on the dream of equality between the races.Anthony Cohen received his BA in American Studies from American University.