The Pearl escape was the largest non-violent escape of enslaved people before the Civil War. Though thwarted, the attempted escape forced Congress to the Compromise of 1850, which brought California into the Union as a free state, outlawed the buying and selling of slaves in the District, and assured passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, which made war inevitable. Following the two presentations and discussion, everyone will walk to the 7th Street pier where the Pearl was anchored. It is a pilgrimage of remembrance and celebration led by a Second Line New Orleans-style band. The marchers sing familiar songs of lament and glory, and at the water’s edge, they will read the names of the seventy-seven enslaved men, women, children, and crew who sailed in search of freedom. Lusane and Musgrave will recount the preparations, secret networks, and interracial cooperation that made the attempt possible and lead a discussion on the enduring lessons the Pearl Incident offers about resistance, solidarity, and the preservation of freedom and identity.