Local Voices: Preserving Black American History

A conversation with Saladin Allah of the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center on the role Niagara County played in the quest for freedom — and why sharing these stories matters more than ever.

Opened in 2018, the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center is an experiential museum that tells the authentic stories of Underground Railroad freedom seekers and abolitionists in Niagara Falls. As the Director of Community Engagement for the Heritage Center, Saladin Allah helps visitors recognize the myriad modern injustices that stem from slavery and, ultimately, take action toward building an equitable society.

Pictured: Saladin Allah.
Credit: James Abbondanza

Q: Can you tell us a bit about the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center?

A: I think it is important to start by sharing that our Heritage Center is the first Black institution that has been established in Niagara Falls in over 30 years. While there is a great sense of pride in this accomplishment, it also illustrates a historical absence of Black-centered spaces here that are invested in our heritage and culture. Through our signature Freedom Conversation Tours, our guests have an opportunity to learn about everyday people doing the extraordinary work of seeking and preserving freedom.

Most of what guests learn at our site are interesting facts that they never knew, simply because the story of the Underground Railroad in the city of Niagara Falls has never been told until today.
Saladin Allah

Q: How does your own family history — as the third-great grandson of Freedom Seeker Josiah Henson — influence the work you do there?

A: Josiah Henson’s legacy has been very influential in my life’s work. All of us have two parents, whether we know them or not. This means that we had to have four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, 16 second-great-grandparents, 32 third-great-grandparents, etc. The further that we go back, the more ancestors we will find along with stories about their lived experiences. We exist because they existed.

Josiah is one of my ancestors, yet it was through him that I began to understand the universality of freedom seekers and the interconnected roots of our human family tree. All of us have a story of freedom, whether we are people of African descent, immigrants or Indigenous people to this land. These stories are usually much closer than we realize.

Q: What are some interesting regional facts about the Underground Railroad facts in New York that might not be well-known?

A: One of the stories I enjoy sharing most is the role of the Black waitstaff at the historic Cataract House Hotel in Niagara Falls, which operated one of the most sophisticated networks to freedom. This has not been well-known because this history has only been recently documented and shared in the public domain. When guests visit our Heritage Center, they are amazed at how this waitstaff’s incredible feats of resistance, courage, poise and agency have not been broadly shared. Most of what guests learn at our site are interesting facts that they never knew, simply because the story of the Underground Railroad in the city of Niagara Falls has never been told until today.

Learn more about the area’s Underground Railroad history here. The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Learn more about the center, tours, and more here.

Be sure to check out the nearby murals on Depot Avenue and Main Street.

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