The Freedom Quilt was created by the MWHS Humanities 11 students. Studying the Underground Railroad quilt patterns by Appalachia, students learned how quilts once served as both works of art and secret maps to freedom. Drawing on that legacy, the quilt honors the courage, creativity, and ingenuity of the people who used art as a form of resistance and hope.
Through this project, the class acknowledges enslaved people as the original abolitionists. We celebrate Black resilience in their efforts to escape bondage, Black beauty in the craftsmanship of the Underground Railroad quilts, and Black genius in the coded language woven into each pattern.
Each student contributed four squares to the collective quilt as a symbolic gesture toward a free and just future.
Square 1: A poem, in the spirit of Langston Hughes’ I Dream a World.
Square 2: A tribute to a Black American whose work and vision have positively shaped society.
Square 3: A portrait of that honored individual.
Square 4: A colorful design inspired by an Underground Railroad quilt pattern, symbolizing our shared journey toward freedom.
May this quilt, stitched together from reflection, gratitude, and hope, serve as a reminder of where we have been and a guide toward the world we dream to build.
