Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

In the near future, we intend to introduce a resolution declaring the second week of February as William Still Week in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 
 

Often referred to as the Father of the Underground Railroad, William Still moved to Philadelphia in 1844 and later began working for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. As the chairman of the organization’s Vigilance Committee, he orchestrated Underground Railroad activities in Philadelphia and across the country. Between 1850 and 1855, in the wake of the Fugitive Slave Act – which required that Northern states assist in capturing escaped slaves – Still and his wife Letitia sheltered hundreds of escapees in their Philadelphia home, including well-known figures like Harriet Tubman. 

 

Enactment of the Fugitive Slave Law instilled fear among Underground Railroad operatives who destroyed their records of the escapees whom they had given aid. William Still instead continued to keep detailed accounts of the people who passed through Philadelphia on their way to Canada. He did so even though it implicated him in unlawful activities, putting his own safety and freedom in jeopardy. He had hoped that the records would one day help families reunite. Still is also renowned for using these journals to publish one of the only firsthand African-American penned accounts of the movement, titled, The Underground Railroad. 

 

In March 2018, the William Still House – located at 625 South Delhi Street in Philadelphia – was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. 

 

As we commemorate Black History Month, William Still’s writings remind us: “The heroism and desperate struggle that many of our people had to endure should be kept green in the memory of this and coming generations.” 

 

Please join us in co-sponsoring this resolution to recognize February 12 – 18, 2023 as “William Still Week” in the Commonwealth.