Underground Railroad Exhibit and Book Signing Planned at University

Mar 10, 2011

The exhibit entitled “The Place I call Home: A Story of the Underground Railroad in NEPA” will be on display at the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library from Thursday, March 10, to Friday, March 18. The exhibit, courtesy of the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies, can be seen free of charge during regular library hours.

In addition, a book signing and reception will be held with Sherman F. Wooden, author and president of the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies, on Tuesday, March 15, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the library.

Wooden, who served as director of Multicultural Affairs at The University of Scranton before retiring from that position in 2010, has spearheaded research on the African American presence and contribution in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and, in particular, the role that the Underground Railroad played in the region. “The Place I Call Home” is an historical account of his research.

A dedicated educator, Wooden worked as a public school teacher and a lecturer at Howard University, Washington, D.C., and Catholic University, Washington, D.C., before joining The University of Scranton in 1990.

Born in Washington, D.C., Wooden grew up in Montrose, which had been a center of Underground Railroad activity. A graduate of Elk Lake High School, he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Howard University and attended The Catholic University of America for doctoral studies. He continued graduate work at several universities including New York University, New York, N.Y., and Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Currently, Wooden serves on several boards, including the Board of Trustees of Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Mo., and Friends of the Weinberg Library Advisory Board and the Friendship House in Scranton. He is a member of the Greater Scranton MLK Commission. Previously, he served on the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission for African American Affairs, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, and as president of the Council on Community Affairs and the Old Mill Village Museum.

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