The Battle Creek Black, Red and Green Pages makes it easier to support Black-owned businesses. It’s a digital directory compiled by a group of women who belong to the Battle Creek Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. They’re an activist group, and one of their points of focus is…
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Perry Sanford escaped from a Kentucky plantation, avoided slave catchers and ended up in Battle Creek. He was one of the African-American pioneers to begin a long, rich history in this city that was a major station on the Underground Railroad and home to activist Sojourner Truth. There are a number…
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Sojourner Truth was a dynamic voice for abolition and suffrage. She was able to escape slavery, went to court to save her son and spent time helping African Americans transistion into post-slavery life after the Civil War. She was born into slavery and given the name Isabella in about 1797. It…
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Calhoun County was an important stop on the Underground Railroad, as African Americans made their way to Canada. Marshall and Battle Creek were known to be welcoming places and a number of African Americans decided to settle here instead of leaving the country. They still had to contend with slave…
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Oak Hill Cemetery (255 South Ave.) contains many voices from Battle Creek’s past, including Sojourner Truth and the Kellogg brothers. But some of the most interesting stories come from ordinary people who lived through extraordinary times. Perry Sanford escaped slavery in 1847 and made it to a safe…
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