Beshear pardons dozens of Kentuckians who helped enslaved people escape to freedom
By Jennifer Osting
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FRANKFORT, Kentucky (WLKY) — More than a century after they were punished for helping enslaved people escape to freedom, dozens of Kentuckians have had their names cleared by the state.
On Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear signed posthumous pardons for a total of 43 men and women ahead of Juneteenth.
The executive order clears the names of people who were arrested and punished for helping people seeking freedom before the Civil War and through the Underground Railroad.
“When we have a chance to correct a historical wrong, we should do it,” Beshear said. “These leaders are heroes – not criminals – and they and their families deserve the justice of having their names cleared.”
Among those pardoned was Elijah Anderson, a free Black man who historians say helped roughly 1,000 enslaved people reach freedom.
Anderson was arrested in Louisville and later died while imprisoned at the Kentucky State Penitentiary.
The list also includes Julett Miles, a Black woman who crossed the Ohio River to rescue her children after learning they were going to be sold.
She was arrested and later died in prison.
Thomas Brown, a 60-year-old Irish immigrant, was also pardoned.
Brown was imprisoned for helping enslaved people escape and endured severe beatings for two years before eventually being released.
Beshear signed the order during an event at the Capitol alongside Rev. Andrew Baskin, professor emeritus and former associate professor of African and African American Studies at Berea College, and historian James Prichard.
“We’re talking about individuals who knew that there was a law, they knew that the law was unjust, they knew that the law was immoral, and they were willing to disobey the law and to suffer the consequences,” Baskin said.
“Gov. Beshear’s pardon sheds a spotlight on this neglected chapter in Kentucky’s history,” Prichard added. “I think it’s important, particularly in this time when there seems to be an effort to sanitize our past, that this part of our history is no longer swept under the rug and becomes a part of Kentucky’s soil.”
Beshear also encouraged Kentuckians to submit information about other people who may also deserve recognition, saying the state will review requests for future posthumous pardons.
Those interested can submit their stories and information to FreedomTrailPardons@ky.gov.
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