NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Niagara Falls native Saladin Allah has known his family's connection to the Underground Railroad since he was a young boy.
"My family definitely grounded me with a sense of cultural competence. I grew up in a household where education, communication, a sense of pride in our ancestry was something that was foundational," Allah said.
He serves as the Director of Community Engagement at the Underground Railroad Heritage Center in Niagara Falls.
"I always had that sense of pride, and sense of self and identity, as a child growing up," Allah said. "And a sense of responsibility of not only carrying on the legacy and sharing it with the next generation, but even taking it further."
Allah's grandmother, Inez Dorsey, is a direct descendant of the famous Underground Railroad Freedom Seeker, Josiah Henson.
"Josiah Henson is the central figure that Harriet Beecher Stowe used as a model in her famous 19th century novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' " Allah said.
The story details Henson's harrowing 41 day journey from slavery in Kentucky to Buffalo, NY and then across the Niagara River to freedom in Ontario, Canada.
It's a story Allah learned from his father long before he could have envisioned the decade-long, community-wide effort to design and build a world class heritage museum on the site of the restored 1863 U.S. Custom House. That historic building stands just feet from the Niagara River Gorge, where many a freedom seeker made passage into Canada.
Allah spoke with 2 On Your Side's Maryalice Demler about what he wants visitors to take away from this experience.
"These are everyday people who did extraordinary things, but more importantly, this is our history. You cannot go anywhere else in the world but here and learn about these stories that took place here, in this location. This story is unique, it's beautiful and we should take pride in it," Allah said.
Visitors to the Heritage Center may chose to walk through and take in the interactive displays at their own pace. Or they can choose to join what are called "Freedom Conversation Tours" conducted by one of the Visitor Experience Specialists.
These specially trained guides bring the experience to life, telling authentic stories of the Freedom Seekers and Abolitionists in Niagara Falls.
Like Allah, Jasiah Jackson is also Niagara Falls native. She was still a high school student when she started as a Museum Ambassador here.
Now as a Youth & Advocacy Specialist at the museum, she speaks with people from all over the country and the world, bringing the Underground Railroad history to life. She admits that she sometimes gets emotional when visitors share their own freedom stories.
"You never realize who you're going to encounter, and we've oftentimes ended our tours giving each other hugs," she said.
Jackson said those exchanges have made a profound impression on her and have impacted her world view.
"Especially connecting the stories we talk about and the consequences of slavery today, and what people go through in our country today. It has definitely given a whole new meaning to what we talk about here," she said.
Charlynn Rivera is the Pubic Programs Specialist at the Heritage Center, which includes leading visitors through the museum.
"I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, but 13 years ago I came to Buffalo," Rivera said.
She's a Niagara University senior who says her family story is yet another example of what defines the American Experience for many. The quest for a better life and the bonding struggle that builds community and creates opportunity for all, is a theme many of their visitors have experienced first-hand.
"I feel like this museum actually serves as a reminder everyday that we do it, and if we do it as a community, if we do it together, then you can definitely see progress and see changes," she said.
Allah, Jackson, and Rivera are all passionate about the Heritage Center and its mission, and each acknowledged that their lives are testimony to the persistence and fortitude of their ancestors.
"I am actually evidence of that resilience, of a people who sojourned in this country, and who are successfully living and sharing that history today," Allah said.
