Edinburg News, Edinburg TX News, Black History Month, community event
Staff Report
Edinburg, TX - Black History Month events across Hidalgo County will include the second annual “Walking Southern Roads to Freedom,” a multi-day walk honoring enslaved African descendants who fled south in search of freedom in the Rio Grande Valley and Mexico.
Organizers describe the walk as a symbolic pilgrimage recognizing freedom seekers who traveled south and those who sheltered and assisted them across the Rio Grande.
Event background
The inaugural 65-mile, seven-day walk in 2025 focused on the history of enslaved people fleeing toward safe havens in the Valley and Mexican border cities. The event also highlighted residents who provided shelter and transportation to freedom seekers.
Dr. Raymond Howard, founder of the South Texas African Heritage Network, said the goal of the event is to increase awareness about the resilience of people of African ancestry who participated in underground railroad-like efforts from South Texas to Mexico. He said the walk also seeks to highlight the region’s shared history.
Planning for the second annual walk began following last year’s event, with local community groups involved in preserving the history of people of color participating in organizing efforts.
Event schedule and route
This year’s walk will span three days and approximately 24 miles. It will begin Friday morning, Feb. 27, in Alamo and conclude March 1 in Reynosa, Mexico.
Participants will visit historic sites in Hidalgo County, including Alamo Central Park, Webber Ranch Cemetery, Jackson Ranch Church and the Eli Jackson cemetery. Organizers state that participants will learn about Black history during the walk, with each day concluding with reflection, music and fellowship.
Representatives from the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge, Maryland, will return for the event. Linda Harris, director of programming activities for the museum, has organized similar “walks to freedom” events in several states and will participate in this year’s walk.
The event will begin with a celebration and concert at Bethel Garden Park in the La Paloma neighborhood of McAllen at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26. The walk will conclude with participants crossing the Hidalgo-McAllen International Bridge into Reynosa to commemorate Mexico’s role in providing refuge to freedom seekers.
Registration and contact information
For more information, contact Dr. Raymond Howard at ray1alexmason@gmail.com. Registration is available online at bit.ly/registertowalking or by contacting Dr. Debra Stark Howard at dlstark1220@gmail.com.
Source -- South Texas African Heritage Network.