#FreedomWalk2026

750 Miles. 61 Days. One Historic Walk for Freedom.

May 4, 2026 — Sandy Spring, MD — This spring, history will not simply be remembered. It will be walked.

Historian and renowned Underground Railroad scholar Anthony Cohen will embark on #FreedomWalk2026, a 750‑mile, two‑month commemorative journey from Maryland to Ontario, Canada. The walk begins May 4 at 10 a.m. at the Sandy Spring Slave Museum and ends on July 4, 2026 — America’s 250th anniversary.

Cohen first traced this route in 1996.

Thirty years later, he returns to honor Harriet Tubman, the courage of freedom seekers, and the enduring power of the Underground Railroad.

“This is not a reenactment. It is a reckoning and a remembrance,” says Cohen. “We walk to remind ourselves that freedom has always required movement.”

The Route

The journey crosses Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, ending in Ontario, Canada — a symbolic gateway to legal freedom. Along the way, the walk will feature:

• Educational stops at historic safe houses and abolitionist sites
• Community rallies with local historians and descendants
• A per‑mile pledge campaign for supporters to sponsor each step

How to Support

Donations through Givebutter fund the journey itself and the “Journey To Freedom” statue project — a permanent public art installation honoring the self‑liberated and those who aided them.

Pledge per mile or make a one‑time gift. Every dollar walks toward memory, truth, and legacy.

Join the Movement

• Walk a segment (details via The Menare Foundation)
• Host a rally along the route
• Follow #FreedomWalk2026 for daily updates

📅 Kickoff: May 4, 2026 | 10 am – noon
📍 Location: Sandy Spring Slave Museum, Maryland
🔗 Donate: Givebutter / #FreedomWalk2026
🏛️ Presented by: The Menare Foundation