'Slave sale' concerns prompt changes to Underground Railroad reenactment

[The Straight Story]

'Slave sale' concerns prompt changes to Underground Railroad reenactment

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Westerville residents won't be sold into slavery this weekend after all.

A reenactment of the Underground Railroad was altered after complaints about the appropriateness of the sale.

"I think people assumed they were going to be put on an auction block, and that was not going to happen," said Phyllis Self, the city's recreation superintendent. "They thought we were making a mockery and a social event out of the Underground Railroad."

Organizers envisioned the Freedom Trail as a piece of interactive theater to teach people about the perils black slaves faced when they escaped to the northern states and into Canada, Self said.

After dark tonight, a cast of reenactors will guide groups across 52 acres by foot and horse-drawn wagon. Participants have to register in advance and be 12 or older.

The journey was to include the sale of some of the attendees, but now one of the actors will play the part of the slave for that segment, Self said. Participants will merely observe the sale but still will play an active role as runaway slaves for the rest of the program.

She said of the six calls she received, most people were supportive once they understood that the emphasis was on history, not fun and games.

When entertainment blogger Evita Hudson of Columbus Urban Life criticized the event, it set off a debate on her blog and Facebook page, which has more than 1,400 members.

"I was appalled at first. Honestly, it was the wording of the advertisement," she said. "It kind of made it seem like a party."

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