Footsteps to Freedom: Stories, Lineage, and the Underground Railroad

Join authors John Frederic Leeke and Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke as they share their family lineage as descendants of freedom seekers who traveled the Underground Railroad from Hagerstown, Maryland, to Canada. Learn how history is honored and uncovered—from basic records to deep family ties—and explore insights from their book, American Change Agent: A Life & Legacy of Seeking Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. Extended Description: Join authors John Frederic Leeke and Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke as they share their family lineage as descendants of freedom seekers who traveled the Underground Railroad from Hagerstown, Maryland, to Canada. Learn how history is honored and uncovered—from basic records to deep family ties—and explore insights from their book, American Change Agent: A Life & Legacy of Seeking Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. Discover how Dr. Leeke’s leaps of faith across multiple roles—including his tenure at the National Education Association and his entrepreneurial ventures—solidified his lifelong commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion. Through reflections on six decades of inclusion efforts, he explores what it means to be a change agent and what it means to unearth the past. His work highlights the institutional changes he championed and his continued influence in retirement through church involvement, civic engagement, and online activism. Dr. Leeke’s stories invite audiences to reflect on their own journeys, embrace humanity’s diversity, and become change agents within their communities.