After a grateful, and tearful thanks to the community, Anthony Cohen of Germantown took his first step Monday on a 750-mile journey from Sandy Spring Slave Museum to Toronto, Canada.
“We are still fighting that valiant fight,” he said at the kickoff.
For the second time, Cohen, a Rockville High graduate, will “Walk to Freedom” along the same path that so many African Americans traveled to escape slavery. The historian plans to walk at a pace of about 12 miles a day and end up in Canada by July 4.
Along the way, he will speak about the Underground Railroad and gather with those who join him for short stretches.
“It is insane to me that 30 years ago we were here for my first walk,” Cohen said, adding, “So much planning went into this day.”
To launch Freedom Walk 2026, Soul in Motion played African music, and students from Paint Branch and Gaithersburg High gathered inside the museum to learn about history.
Some call it liberation, said Winston Anderson, founder of the museum. “I call it resistance, because the fight is still going on.” What Cohen is doing and what he hopes visits to the museum will do “reminds people we’ve come a long way and have to continue.”
He handed Cohen a beautifully carved walking stick for his journey.
A small group of followers joined Cohen as he walked behind a trailer pulling a large Harriet Tubman statue and headed out toward Columbia.
Cohen said he wanted to repeat the walk in honor of Montgomery County and the United States’ 250 birthday.
Germantown's Anthony Cohen begins a 750-mile journey along the Underground Railroad route, from Montgomery County to Canada. @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/AR5UCFeOvo
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) May 4, 2026
Soul in Motion kicks off the festivities of Freedom Walk 2026 @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/74hmjGzqs4
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) May 4, 2026
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Germantown historian prepares to walk the Underground Railroad
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