Interview with Kimberly Simmons

 

I really enjoyed my interview with the 3^rd generation Granddaughter of Caroline Quarlls; the first passenger on Wisconsin’s underground railroad in 1842. She is a strong leader and I am inspired by her dedication to educating her community and aiding other leaders to spread the history of African Americans throughout the Midwest region. She is currently residing in Detroit, MI and is the founder of the Quarlls-Watkins heritage project founded in 2003. This organization serves the community by keeping its history alive, Kimberly goes around to various sites, primarily to schools throughout the Midwest and gives presentations and lectures about the Underground Railroad, particularly her ancestry (Caroline Quarlls and Allen Watkins).

            One of the interesting things about this, is the fact that Caroline Quarlls traveled through what is now the Johnson’s Park neighborhood and because of that Kimberly has designated Johnson’s park as a National Historic site for the Underground Railroad network to Freedom organization.

                        I could literally feel the passion radiating from Kim as she talked about her newfound journey. She talked with me about how this organization has evolved into more historical research and how she is traveling around the country aiding other historic sites on how to preserve their history as well. She has come a long way, starting out in a career in banking. I recall her talking about how she found old photos in her mother’s attic and began to look for the missing pieces, discovering her Great, great, great grandmother, whom she had heard old stories about since her childhood. It is amazing how rich our history is, despite the fact that it hadn’t been recorded because of slaves being unable to write. It makes her journey all the more enjoyable, uncovering countless oral histories and looking for clues scattered around our homeland.

 

Further info: http://www.wlhn.org/wnf/about.htm