William Still was known as the “The Father of the Underground Railroad.” Although Harriet Tubman was the conductor of the Underground Railroad, Still played a major in reuniting families once they escaped slavery. You can probably imagine it could be difficult for an entire to escape all at once so Still kept very detailed records of escaped slaved to ensure they could one day be reunited their families. I guess you could say he the census back then.

On top of the important job of reuniting families, Still was a social activist, a philanthropist a businessman and he owned a considerable amount of real estate. Liberty Hall, one of the largest public halls in the United States was owned by Still. As an officer or the Social and Civil Statistical Association of Philadelphia this position aided him in tracking and reuniting escaped slaves.
Through his philanthropy he helped create the first YMCA for African Americans in Philly as well as an orphanage. He taught the newly freed slaves how to read by creating literacy programs. His passion was uplifting and creating opportunities for his people. He played a pivotal as “The Father of the Underground Railroad.” Let’s follow in his footsteps and pour as much as we can into bettering our people and our communities.