Project to tell stories of slaves’ flight to freedom; an estimated 800 to 1,500 fled through NWI

History lessons about the Underground Railroad generally omit some important details. Instead of focusing on benevolent white men who helped escaped slaves in their flight to freedom, the Blacks themselves – the freedom seekers – should be the focus.That’s an argument made by retired Governors State University professor Larry McClellan, who often speaks in presentations from Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood to South Bend.McClellan and Tom Shepherd, executive director of theLittle Calumet River Underground Railroad Project, are working to flip the paradigm.Last week, they spoke at Tiny Coffee Bar in Gary’s Miller neighborhood.They’re seeking volunteers to help document stories of the escaped slaves who fled to freedom, traveling through Northwest Indiana along the old Chicago to Detroit Road.“The dilemma is that for the last 170 years, almost all the stories told have been the Underground Railroad stories and not the freedom seeker stories,” McClellan said.“Most of the time those stor...