STOCKTON – The Rooks County Historical Society in Stockton will host “Lawbreakers for the Common Good,” a multi-media presentation and discussion led by Anne Hawkins at 2 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Rooks County Historical Museum, 921 S. Cedar, Stockton.
Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. Contact the Rooks County Historical Museum at (785) 425-7217 (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday) for more information. The program is made possible by the Kansas Humanities Council.
There will be a short business meeting preceding the program and refreshments will be provided.
Hawkins’ presentation explores true accounts of the little-known people who worked illegally on the Underground Railroad in Kansas, the secret network that helped guide enslaved people to freedom. In the mid-1800s, some Kansans defied federal, state and territorial laws in pursuit of a common goal: liberty for all.
“Operatives — both white and black — worked together secretly on the Kansas Underground Railroad. But what we often overlook in the excitement of these tales is that these Underground Railroad workers were lawbreakers. Slave owners and bounty hunters in the U.S. had the might of the law on their side,” Hawkins said. “Kansans literally lay their lives on the line to help freedom seekers. And the ways they worked together for the common good offer examples of what is possible for equality and justice in our own time.”
Hawkins teaches United States history at Washburn University, as well as U.S. and world history classes for home-educated youth ages 5–17 across northeast Kansas. She received her master’s in history from the University of Kansas, and has published numerous writings on state history.
“Lawbreakers for the Common Good” is part of the Kansas Humanities Council’s Kansas Stories Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and discussions that examine our shared human experience—our innovations, culture, heritage, and conflicts.
The Kansas Humanities Council conducts and supports community-based programs, serves as a financial resource through an active grant-making program, and encourages Kansans to engage in the civic and cultural life of their communities. For more information about KHC programs contact the Kansas Humanities Council at 785/357-0359 or visit online at www.kansashumanities.org.
The Rooks County Historical Society is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting the artifacts, writings, and history reflecting the development and cultural diversity in Rooks County.