I have been a fan of the Underground Railroad Educational Center since its inception in 2003. Actually, well before then. UREC is a non-profit organization that seeks, among other things, “to promote and encourage knowledge and understanding of the Underground Railroad Movement and its genesis and legacy in the Capital Region and in New York State, and as a significant element of the history of the United States.”
I’ve known its founders, Paul and Mary Liz Stewart, since before they first started giving tours of significant locations in Albany. The UREC has held conferences that I’ve attended. The moving July 4 responses to Frederick Douglass’s famous speech on the topic are on my calendar each year. The Stewarts are featured on this recent WTEN digital story.
I attended the groundbreaking of the Interpretive Center, very close to the historic residence of abolitionists Stephen and Harriet Myers at 194 Livingston Avenue in Albany, NY.
Then the $250,000 grant the museum had won in 2024 was canceled, DOGEd out in May 2025 as part of the regime’s anti-DEI effort. This was understandably devastating news.
News
But I read recently in The Washington Post [behind a paywall] that UREC is suing the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and several other officials in a case filed Friday. March 20, in the U.S. District Court in Albany. “The lawsuit accuses the government of violating the center’s First and Fifth Amendment rights.”
Reading the WaPo comments, I realize, yet again, that people only understand part of the story. If the money was allocated in 2024, how could the funds be cut in 2025? In part, the money was tied to matching funds the UGEC has been diligently raising.
I was surprised by the news, assuming they did not have the means to engage attorneys. “The lawsuit was filed through Lawyers for Good Government, an organization that provides free legal services for public interest cases.” Ah, that makes sense.
Here’s the Albany Times Union [behind a paywall]. Syracuse.com [usually available], and NBC News [available] stories.