Kalmar Nyckel Foundation to host Black History Month event on Saturday

WILMINGTON — The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation will host Five Ways to Freedom: Wilmington’s Underground Railroad on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 1:30-4:30 pm at 1124 East 7th St to kick off Black History Month.

Children and adults can explore the five ways freedom seekers traveled on Wilmington’s Underground Railroad at this fourth annual Five Ways to Freedom event, including free crafts, partner activities, participation prizes, and tours of Copeland Maritime Center exhibits and Fort Christina Park. Admission and parking are free, thanks to Noramco. There are fees for some activities.

The event features two free shows of HENRY “Box” BROWN performed by actor historian Keith Henley of The American Historical Theatre. He tells the true story of an enslaved man who mailed himself to freedom. The show is recommended for ages 7+ and runs 30 minutes plus 15 minutes for questions. Limited free tickets are still available for the 3:30-4:15 pm show (the 2:00-2:45 pm show is full). Get tickets online: KalmarNyckel.org/ugrr or call 302.429.7447.

Henry “Box” Brown was enslaved on a Virginia plantation and decided to escape after his family was sold to a South Carolina plantation. With help from a local shop keeper and a Philadelphia Abolitionist, he mailed himself in a crate from Richmond, VA to Philadelphia PA. The trip was a success, but the 27-hour journey was difficult. In Philadelphia, he became a noted abolitionist and eventually a showman.

Keith Henley works for The American Historical Theatre and History First Hand. He is the artistic director and choreographer for Folkloric Heritage Culture Arts Company Inc. of Cherry Hill, NJ. He owns and operates J.O.Y. Productions, Queenie’s Homemade Sweets and Catering, and Alpha Designs.

Participating partner organizations include UGR 3day with Dionne Patterson, Sole Food Inc. with Lyz Smith, and Eastside 2035 thanks to Roshida Austin

Fort Christina Park is a documented site on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Freedom seekers landed and disembarked on “The Rocks” that formed a natural wharf on the Christina River. In 1638, Kalmar Nyckel landed on the very same site.

The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation (KNF) is a non-profit, volunteer-based educational organization and a cultural resource that provides sailing, education programs, and community events that reach 30,000 people of all ages each year. KNF built, owns, and operates Kalmar Nyckel, the Tall Ship of Delaware, a full-scale replica of the Swedish warship that established the colony of New Sweden in 1638, the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. The ship and Copeland Maritime Center offer people of all ages a variety of sea- and land-based recreational and educational experiences.