DOGE Comes After the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad organizations receiving federal funding now threatened
Underground Railroad Free Press received the alert provided below of the impact that current widespread cuts in federal programs related to race are now directly impacting important Underground Railroad organizations.
On March 14, President Trump issued an executive order, Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, directing further cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, an independent federal agency already operating at a minimum. The Institute provides critical resources to libraries and museums in all 50 states and US territories. Its annual expenses account for barely more than one one-thousandth of the federal budget.
Directly affected is the Underground Railroad Education Center of Albany, New York, one of the nation’s most esteemed Underground Railroad organizations. Free Press has followed the Center and its accomplishments for 20 years. Its founders, Paul and Mary Liz Stewart, were the recipients of the 2008 Free Press Prize for Preservation for rediscovering and restoring the Stephen Myers safe-house in Albany, New York, and the 2023 Free Press Prize for Leadership for their long perseverance in developing funding for a major expansion of the Underground Railroad Education Center that they founded. That are the only double winners of Free Press prizes.
Following are their alert and appeal for help. Please do so if you can. Use the email address at the bottom to contact the Center.
It would appear that all three of the federal Underground Railroad programs are threatened including the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom program. If these programs disappear, it will be up to the private sector to step up to preserve the irreplaceable Underground Railroad work that the federal government has accomplished.
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Underground Railroad Education Center's Museum Studies Teen Progam will lose its funding. The Center receives funding from Institute of Museum and Library Services in support of the planning and implementation of a Museum Studies Teen Program designed to encourage high school students to consider employment in the museum field. This program introduces students to the vast array of job possibilities within the museum field and the value of museums to the health and wellbeing and financial sustainability of our communities. As a workforce development program, it supports the development of both "hard skills" relevant to specific jobs and "soft skills" such as strong work ethic and positive attitude, which are crucial for success in any workplace.
Please contact your federal and New York state elected officials to express your support for the continued funding of IMLS
This link https://www.congressweb.com/aam/95/ will take you to an easy means to communicate by phone and/or email with your elected officials. Please use the text above about the Museum Studies Teen Program to personalize your communication.
This link https://www.aam-us.org/2025/03/17/ask-your-museums-supporters-to-save-imls/ will take you to page of the American Alliance of Museums that contains some sample text and graphics for use with social media.
Donate here to Black history sites while you still can.
Please notify Mary Liz Stewart of any errors or comments at https://undergroundrailroadhistory.org/contact/.