“Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad” will be presented by Wesley United Methodist Church, 14 N. May St. in Aurora, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17.
Celebrating Black History Month, the program will include a reading of “Under the Quilt of Night” and a chronicle of how quilts conveyed Underground Railroad codes during the Civil War.
The public is invited. Admission and parking are free.
Kelly McLeary, WUMC preschool director, will lead the reading and quilt coding exploration. McCleary, a quilter, will display original quilts.
In “Quilt of Night,” author Deborah Hopkinson writes in the anxious voice of a young slave girl escaping from a harsh master. Hopkinson transports children back to a time gone by.
The young girl tells of a dramatic, treacherous flight, under the quilt of night, through a mosquito-ridden wood and across deep river waters and of finding a glimmer of hope, a sign from the Underground Railroad, shining against the dark backdrop of the night sky.
She sees a quilt hanging across the fence of a simple farmhouse. The quilt delivers a message: slaves have reached the path to freedom.
Light refreshments will be served after the program.
Call 630-896-1033 or visit wesleyumcaurora.org for more information.
—Wesley United Methodist Church