20th Annual Mary Meachum Celebration

You're invited to be a part of history in the making at the 20th Annual Mary Meachum Celebration on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at Missouri's first nationally recognized Underground Railroad site - the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing on the Mississippi Greenway.

Each year, this event shines a spotlight on Black St. Louis history through theater performances, music, and activities for the whole family in a festive atmosphere with opportunities to shop, dine, and learn about community resources. The event takes place from 12 pm to 5 pm, but don't miss the main event: historical reenactments looking back over 20 years of celebrations from 3 pm to 4 pm.

The event is FREE and for people of all ages. For more information, visit www.MaryMeachum.org.

The event is significant to the WashU & Slavery project because several of the people who sought freedom by crossing the Mississippi River at this site in 1855 were enslaved by people who founded and shaped Washington University. Learn more about Esther, one of the freedom-seekers, who had been enslaved to WashU benefactor Henry Shaw.

Where is the Mary Meachum Site?

The site is located on the Mississippi Greenway. Several sections of the greenway are currently impacted by construction. To bike or walk to the site, you can park in North Riverfront Park and ride south on the greenway. To drive there, take Highway 70 to Grand Ave: East toward river; North on Hall to Prairie; Right on Prairie to site & parking.

Who was Mary Meachum?

Mary Meachum (1801–1869) and her husband, Reverend John Berry Meachum, were American abolitionists who dedicated their lives to educating and freeing enslaved people.  As part of Reverend Meachum’s church, he established a school for free and enslaved black students called the “The Candle Tallow School.” After the state of Missouri banned all education for black people in 1847, the Meachum’s moved their classes to a steamboat in the middle of the Mississippi River, which was beyond the reach of Missouri law. He provided the school with a library, desks and chairs, and called it the “Floating Freedom School.”  The Meachum’s home on Fourth Street in St. Louis was a safe house on the Underground Railroad. They also helped enslaved people escape to Illinois, where slavery was outlawed. Their work involved considerable risk due to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850- a law authorizing the hunting and capture of escaped enslaved people and requirement that they be returned to their enslavers.

Reverend John Berry Meachum grew up enslaved in Virginia and Kentucky before earning enough money to purchase his freedom. Before leaving Kentucky, he met Mary, an enslaved woman who was set to be moved by her enslavers to St. Louis. John followed Mary to St. Louis where he bought her freedom and eventually established the First African Baptist Church, the first black congregation in St. Louis. After John’s death in 1854, Mary Meachum continued their work educating and freeing enslaved people.

What is the significance of the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Site?

On the night of May 21, 1855, in the area that is now part of the Mississippi Greenway: Riverfront Trail north of the Merchant’s bridge, Mary Meachum attempted to help a small group of enslaved people cross the Mississippi River to Illinois where slavery was outlawed. However, enslavers and law enforcement officials caught at least five of the enslaved people and arrested Mary for her participation in the plot. She was charged in criminal court for helping the “fugitives” escape. In 2001, the National Park Service recognized the site as part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Tour de Museo: Spanish-language tour

Join Karla Aguilar, student educator and PhD student in Hispanic Studies in Arts & Sciences, and José Garza, museum academic programs coordinator, for a Spanish-language tour of select artworks in the permanent collection and the special exhibition Katharina Grosse Studio Paintings, 1988–2022: Returns, Revision, Inventions. The interactive tour will encourage visitors to share observations and interpretations.

Free and open to the public; registration is encouraged. RSVP to kempereducation@wustl.edu.

The Gold Standard of Child Welfare Policy Is Being Challenged: What ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) Opponents Are Actually After

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is largely supported by those who interact with it: child welfare experts, state welfare agencies and tribal nations. It’s been called the gold standard of child welfare policy. So why is it facing a full-throated legal challenge that will be heard by the Supreme Court this fall? Our panelists will explain why ICWA is an effective and important piece of legislation and illuminate how the questions addressed in the ICWA challenge make it an attractive target for opponents who want to use it as a back door to undermine tribal sovereignty.

Sarah Kastelic, PhD (Alutiiq)
Executive Director, National Indian Child Welfare Association

Erin Dougherty Lynch, JD
Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund

Sheldon Spotted Elk, JD (Northern Cheyenne)
Senior Director of Judicial National Engagement, Casey Family Programs

LGBTQ History and the Black Experience in St. Louis

Join us for an opportunity to learn more about the the Black experience in LGBTQ history and the intersections between racial and queer identities. 

This is a student centered event.

This event is a part of the CDI's celebration of National Diversity Week.