Earlier this month, the Lawrence County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau unveiled two historic markers in Ironton, dedicated to the region’s Underground Railroad History.

The two sites, Quinn Chapel A.M.E. and the Campbell House, are being honored as part of the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tour, part of a larger group of locations throughout the Tri-State.

These sights are a testament to the story of those in this state who helped people enslaved in Kentucky and Virginia (now West Virginia) escape to freedom prior to emancipation and the Civil War.

It is a proud story worth telling and preserving in every possible aspect.

Unfortunately, the strides made in documenting and celebrating such history have been under assault in recent years, with the blanket term “woke” or screams of “DEI” used by certain segments of the political world to demonize any attempt to portray a fuller and more inclusive view of American history.

One example is in West Virginia, where the state’s Republican governor, Patrick Morrisey, went out of his way to downplay the recently-created Juneteenth federal holiday, commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S., and announced he would not recognize it — a particularly absurd stance, given the fact that the very State of West Virginia was created when counties western Virginia refused to join the rest of the state in the Confederacy and, instead, became a new state under President Abraham Lincoln.

And, last week, President Donald Trump decided to announce on his social media feed that he felt there were too many federal holidays and some should be eliminated. It is rather telling that he only made this on Juneteenth, rather than, say Presidents Day or Columbus Day.

Slavery was, for centuries, a part of the history of this continent, both in colonial days and the first eight decades of this nation.

The fight to end it was a noble one and those involved should be celebrated, from those who bravely made their escape through the Underground Railroad to those such as Ironton’s founder, John Campbell, who provided shelter and aid to them to abolitionists, such as Frederick Douglas, and Harriet Tubman, to Union soldiers who fought the Confederacy, to legislators like Thaddeus Stephens and Charles Sumner, who championed the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery to passage.

Contrary to critics’ claims, telling this story is not pointing out America’s flaws, but, instead, is honoring those who fought to bring the promise of equality and freedom to all. 

A focus on inclusion is not revisionist history, but is, instead, a fuller, richer documentation of what happened.

We are thankful that local leaders see that importance and sought to document the rich history of the Underground Railroad in our county, so that it can not just be preserved, but can inspire and educate future generations.