Aurora Church Event To Explore Underground Railroad Quilts

AURORA, IL — Wesley United Methodist Church will celebrate Black History Month with a reading that chronicles how quilts conveyed Underground Railroad codes during the Civil War.

The reading of Deborah Hopkinson's "Under the Quilt of Night" will take place at the church, 14 N. May St. in Aurora, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 17. Kelly McLeary, WUMC preschool director and a quilter, will display original quilts during the event and lead attendees through the reading and coding exploration.

Hopkinson's book follows a young slave girl escaping a cruel master by following quilted codes.

"Traveling late one night, a runaway slave girl spies a quilt hanging outside a house," reads a description of "Under the Quilt of Night." "The quilt's center is a striking deep blue — a sign that the people inside are willing to help her escape. Can she bravely navigate the complex world of the Underground Railroad and lead her family to freedom?"

The children's book was published in 2005 as a sequel to the best-selling "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt."

Admission and parking for the event are free. Light refreshments will also be served after the program, according to a news release.