William Still
William Still was only a small child when he escaped slavery with his siblings and his mother by following the North Star. In his twenties he taught himself to read and write. As the Executive Secretary of the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society, he kept thorough records of runaways. Still interviewed as many as possible of those who passed through Philadelphia on their way to freedom. One individual was his own long-lost brother Peter Still. His careful records helped many families reunite in later years.
Still and the Vigilance Committee were instrumental not only in helping fugitives escape but also in setting up new lives for themselves in the North. In 1872, he published "The Underground Railroad," one of the earliest accounts of these activities. After the Civil War he continued to press for equal rights for Blacks, including organizing an interracial rally to oppose segregation in Philadelphia's streetcars.
