"Voices of the Underground Railroad" will be the subject of a lecture and music program at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, 432 W. Walnut St., Allentown.

The program will include traditional African American spirituals that expressed the hardships of slavery, offering inspiration for the journey to freedom. Participants will also hear firsthand accounts of courageous escaping slaves.The "Underground Railroad" was a metaphor for a loose network of secret routes and safe houses that were used by black slaves to escape from slavery into freedom.While traditional concepts of the Underground Railroad often ignore the vital role of free blacks, historians are discovering the important role African Americans played in helping slaves escape and journey to freedom.They risked their lives to help others. Enslaved people who took destiny into their own hands to seek freedom showed incredible courage, living in constant fear of being recaptured. All knew of recaptured slaves who were brutally whipped and sold "down the river," destroying families and sending them into horrific conditions.Music has long played an important role in African American culture. The famous black abolitionist Frederick Douglass spoke about African American spirituals that encouraged slaves to escape to freedom.These spirituals were unique to African American culture - something the slaves could call their own. As Douglass put it, spirituals were "a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains." The songs expressed the horrors of slavery but also gave slaves inspiration and hope for a better tomorrow.The program is being held in conjunction with African American History Month. This celebration, which originated in 1925, pays tribute to the many achievements of African Americans.For more information, visit

www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org or visit them on Facebook.