“If these walls could talk, oh! The stories they would tell!” reflected Lillie Wiley-Upshaw.
Lillie is the Chair of the Buffalo Niagara Freedom Station Coalition, the nonprofit that owns the Michigan Street Baptist Church, which has served as a beacon of hope for generations.
As racial inequality divided the nation in the 19th and 20th centuries, Buffalo became a hub for abolitionists, civil rights leaders and social activists – with the church playing a prominent role in those revolutionary movements. It served as the center of community life for Buffalo’s growing Black community and also became a legendary Underground Railroad station, providing sanctuary to those fleeing slavery before crossing to freedom in Canada.
But time took its toll on the church, and over the years, it fell into disrepair. In 2001, the Community Foundation stepped in to support the church, rallying its peers to jointly fund emergency roof repairs. Since then, the Community Foundation has served as both a funder and convener around efforts to preserve the structure as it becomes a tourism destination, with plans to reopen to the public in 2025, and in building the capacity of the Buffalo Niagara Freedom Station Coalition.
“We are creating a space that will welcome all people,” said Lillie.
“The church is a living example of what can happen when we all come together. We are working to preserve the African American history of our city and restore a once thriving community. When we accomplish our goals, we hope to leave a lasting legacy of economic prosperity, pride and hope for future generations.”