National Gallery of Writing

Call for Papers

on The Underground Railroad in Cass County

and Sanctuary and Deliverance (mural project)

The Minority Coalition of Cass County, organizers of the "Sanctuary and Deliverance" mural project, would like to invite persons interested in the operation of the Underground Railroad in Cass County to submit papers to the group's online collection of stories and responses. All submissions are welcome.

Visit: The Underground Railroad in Cass County and follow the quick-and-easy submission process.

Project Goals--brick by brick

Our Sanctuary and Deliverance Project wants to re-affirm lessons from our Southwest Michigan past.
The goals are to readily communicate these values via public art:
-create a work of art that instills pride and solidarity in the residents of Cass County
-accurately depict and write the history of the Kentucky Raid by writing a pamphlet and discussion guide and designing portable banners that supplement and elaborate on the depictions in the mural
-engage local residents of Cass County and visitors in discussions of the ethical choices the people of Cass County faced during the Kentucky Raid and the relevance of those choices today
-provide forums for discussion and writing about the Kentucky Raid and related topics that capture a diversity of voices
-inspire local Cass County residents and visitors to adopt the values of social justice, compassion and cooperation

The Michigan Humanities Council in Lansing, MI approved Sanctuary and Deliverance mural project as a catalyst for social change and a way to positively connect with local history. The Cassopolis Vigilant (on 2-18-2010) quoted our scholar, Veta Tucker, as saying: “There was a special community here in Cass County, a community where free African Americans worked their own land, established their own churches, started businesses, and enjoyed some of the same rights their white neighbors enjoyed. We need to celebrate this history.”

Join us in the process! As lead artist, Ruth Andrews, scales the wall, envision each brick as a connection to the past as well as a bridge to the present. Help us re-build our community in an honorable venue and consider volunteering!

“This project is funded in part by the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.”

Black History Breakfast Features Sonya Hollins

The featured speaker for the Minority Coalition's
Annual Black History breakfast was Sonya Bernard-Hollins, author of Here I Stand, a Musical History of African Americans in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Hollins, co-owner of Fortitude Graphic Design of Kalamazoo with her husband Sean Hollins, spoke of
the rich history of African American ingenuity in southwest Michigan. A strong promoter of self-publishing, Sonya Hollins is collaborating with Dr. Veta Tucker and Dr. Alisea Williams McLeod on a publication focused on the Kentucky Raid of 1847, a critical event in the history of the Underground Railroad in Cass County, Michigan. Dr. Tucker also spoke at the breakfast. She expressed the importance of continually rewriting history as new information becomes available. This summer the Minority Coalition plans to install in Downtown Cassopolis a mural depicting the Raid.

Wall Selected for the Mural

This wall co-owned by Becky Maier of Village Florist and AttorneyStephen Woods will be the site and canvas for a mural--titled Sanctuary and Deliverance--to be painted this summer. The mural will visually illustrate the history of the Raid and of the Underground Railroad in Cass County, Michigan.

Wall Chosen for Mural Site

Mural organizers are pleased to announce the selection of Village Florist in Cassopolis, Michigan as the site for the Kentucky Raid mural. Becky Maier, owner of the longstanding business, has expressed enthusiastic support of the project.

The designated wall, jointly owned by Maier and Attorney Stephen Woods, faces north, symbolically appropriate for art depicting the difficult, yet hopeful journey of African American freedom-seekers.

The watercolor painting to the right is one of several "studies" that mural artist Ruth Andrews has offered to the mural organizing committee for input.

Interracial alliance receives Michigan Humanities Council Grant

An interracial alliance of Cass County, Michigan residents, sponsored by the Minority Coalition, a 501 c-3 nonprofit based in Cassopolis, Michigan, has received a "Michigan People, Michigan Places" grant to install a planned mural in downtown Cassopolis depicting the famous Kentucky Raid of 1847. Already the subject of a Michigan Milestone marker in Cassopolis, the raid, represented through this visual medium, will be told more vibrantly. The group expects that this latest representation will properly place at the center of the onslaught both the African American fugitives themselves and local free blacks who (with local whites, most nobably Quakers) came to the aid of their brethren.

The mural, which has been under discussion for over a year, is to be completed during the summer of 2010, and the group hopes to involve community members in the processes of wall preparation and painting. This year, mural artist Ruth Andrews, with the assistance of local activist Ruth Crawley, began planning scenes for the mural, work that has included staging scenes using community members to play the parts of freedom-seeking African Americans.

Throughout the entire process of bringing the mural to fruition, the alliance expects to continue expanding the number of people touched by the important history which will be represented through this public art form, and, to that end, the group will offer in the coming year three community forums. The first is tentatively set for Black History Month (February). Upon completion of the mural, a pamphlet elaborating on the history of the raid will be made available at the project site.

Stay tuned for more information on this exciting project and future announcements concerning ways to get involved in this work.

Kentucky at Sunrise

Director Von Washington and Stage ManagerJean Schultz search

for props for the upcoming production, Kentucky at Sunrise.

Kentucky at Sunrise, by Dr. Von Washington, will be the featured performance at this year's International Festival. This dramatization of the Kentucky Raid, which occurred in Cass County in August of 1847, will be presented in "tableau vivant" form. Local actors, including five area pastors, will present 9 tableaus as professional storytellers describe the action. A gospel choir led by Ruth Crawley will provide the spiritual and emotional backdrop to the events.

The International Festival is free and open to the public.


This event will be held at Ross Beatty High School, 22721 Diamond Cove Rd, Cassopolis, Michigan from 1 to 5 pm on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. Kentucky at Sunrise will be performed at 2 pm.