Join us in Cleveland for the third annual 2026 Underground Railroad Gathering. We are calling on all individuals and organizations committed to this cause to gather with partners from across the state to reflect, discuss, and learn about Ohio’s significant role in the Underground Railroad, and explore ways to provide a platform for these important stories.
More information about this year’s gathering is coming soon.
Deborah A. Abbott, PhD, is a professional genealogist specializing in genealogical methodology, manuscript collections, and African American family research. She is a member of the Cuyahoga County (OH) Archives Commission, the Lakeview Cemetery Community Outreach Committee (Cleveland, OH), 1st vice president of the African American Genealogical Society, Cleveland, Ohio, and a retired professor of Counseling from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland.
She holds both the BS and MEd degrees from Tuskegee University and the PhD degree from Kent State University.
Joseph Billups is a Cleveland-based filmmaker, actor, writer, and producer whose work centers on community, history, and authentic storytelling. After a career in law enforcement, including serving as a Cleveland police officer and bodyguard for three Cleveland mayors, Billups transitioned into filmmaking, working both in front of and behind the camera. His credits include Lux in Tenebris (2017), Stand Alone (2018), From the Other Land to the Motherland, and The Emancipation of Miss Millie (2024). Through independent and community-focused filmmaking, Billups is committed to highlighting underrepresented voices and sharing stories that connect history, culture, and community.
Eleanor (Nora) Blackman, M.A., C.A., is an Archivist in Special Collections at Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University. With more than 25 years of experience in local, federal, and academic libraries and archives, she specializes in preserving community histories and institutional legacies. Her work includes stewarding significant African American archival collections from Karamu House, Antioch Baptist Church, and the Frank O. Etheridge papers, as well as collections from prominent Cleveland cultural institutions. Nora is also a past steering committee member of the Cleveland Archival Roundtable, supporting collaboration among archivists, historians, and genealogists throughout Northeast Ohio.
Mordecai Cargill is Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of ThirdSpace Action Lab and ThirdSpace Reading Room. Previously, he served as Director of Strategy, Research & Impact at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. He is Board President of ClevelandOwns and serves on the boards of Cleveland Votes, PolicyBridge, and Assembly for the Arts. Cargill was an Aspen Ideas Fellow and German Marshall Memorial Fellow and earned his B.A. in African American Studies from Yale University, where his studies focused on Black culture in the 20th century.
Dr. Tara L. Conley is an executive producer, director, interdisciplinary scholar, and Assistant Professor of Media Studies whose work spans documentary filmmaking, visual ethnography, and multimedia storytelling. Her projects include Brackish, a ten-year visual ethnography exploring life in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and the 2025 documentary Dry Bones. Holding a Ph.D. in Media Studies, Conley combines academic research with creative practice to explore narrative, culture, and visual storytelling. She is also affiliated with Media Make Change, LLC, a production company focused on documentary and educational media
Kathy Dean-Dielman has served on the America 250-OH Commission since 2022 and is co-chair of the Undertold Stories Committee. A Past President and current Board Secretary of the Lorain County Historical Society, she has spent the last fifteen years volunteering with various historical organizations in a variety of capacities including living history interpretation, event planning, fundraising, board governance and community outreach. She is a native of Lorain County and a 1993 graduate of Hiram College with majors in History and Philosophy. Kathy manages one of the volunteer teams at Reserve Care, formerly Hospice of the Western Reserve. She lives in Lorain with her husband Brad and daughter Lane, who attends The College of Wooster.
Phyllis Yarber Hogan is a lifelong resident of Oberlin, Ohio, with a strong commitment to community leadership and historical preservation. After 42 years of service as an administrative assistant at Oberlin College, she continues to serve her community as Vice President of the Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society and as a founding member of the Oberlin African American Genealogy & History Group. She also serves on the board of the Oberlin House of The Lord Fellowship.
Cecelia is a family legacy coach, researcher and technology professional who’s been working on client and personal ancestral legacy topics for over a decade. Her love for genealogy and family history creates opportunities to travel, create and serve the discipline via volunteerism, lecturing, teaching and consulting. Areas of expertise include special record collections, technology tools, African American and Native American heritage, skill building and research methods. She’s an avid reader and jazz aficionado in her spare time.
Andy Pochatko is a docent with the Hubbard House Underground Railroad Museum and reference librarian for the Harbor-Topky Memorial Library, both located in Ashtabula, Ohio. He has graduate degrees from Clarion University of Pennsylvania (M.S., Library Science, 2010) and Bowling Green State University (M.A., English, 2014).
Joan Southgate is a retired social worker, activist, author, and founder of Restore Cleveland Hope, an organization dedicated to preserving and sharing Cleveland’s Underground Railroad and antislavery history. Her advocacy helped bring attention to the historic Cozad-Bates House and efforts to preserve it as an Underground Railroad education and resource center. Southgate also completed IN THEIR PATH!, a remarkable 519-mile walk through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Canada to honor freedom seekers and the individuals and families who assisted them along the Underground Railroad. Her journey is chronicled in IN THEIR PATH: A Grandmother’s 519-Mile Underground Railroad Walk, created in collaboration with writer Fran Stewart
Marilyn Wainio began researching her family’s history 30 years ago. She spent 12 years as the president of the Wellington Genealogy Group. Her genealogy hobby became a passion as research uncovered a rich history of the African American family that built her home. With time, this research began focusing also on other Wellington Black residents. Her efforts led to a local connection to Garrett Morgan. This connection led to her being one of the researchers for the Ohio Historical Marker for Garrett Morgan’s Wakeman Country Club in 2024.
Dr. Timothy D. Walker is Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a scholar of maritime history, colonial expansion, and trans-oceanic slave trading. He is affiliated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Munson Institute of Maritime Studies, and the “Slavery North” initiative. Walker also directs the National Endowment for the Humanities workshop series Sailing to Freedom: New Bedford and the Underground Railroad. He is editor and lead author of Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad (2021), which explores the important role waterways and maritime networks played in freedom-seeking journeys.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to be part of a historic gathering dedicated to the legacy of the Underground Railroad in Ohio. Register now and join us in preserving and sharing this important chapter of our history.
Date: September 27-28, 2026
Location: Cleveland History Center
Admission is FREE!
Presented by Ohio REALTORS®
Ohio proudly boasts the highest number of documented Underground Railroad sites in the nation. This gathering is the first of its kind, bringing together over 100 sites to create a collaborative space for current and future Network to Freedom locations.
Our objectives include promoting research into new sites, sharing best practices, fostering collaboration, celebrating achievements, and enhancing public engagement.
Connect with other Network to Freedom sites and those interested in joining. This is a unique opportunity to build relationships, exchange knowledge, and work together to preserve and share Ohio’s rich Underground Railroad history.
Thank you to our partners
