Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz Uncovers Family Ties to Underground Railroad in New Book, "The Ballad of the Fugitive William Parker"
Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, a New York Times bestselling poet and historian, has authored a new book titled "The Ballad of the Fugitive William Parker: A True Tale of Love, Murder, Treason, and Ordinary Folks Who Saved America." The inspiration for the book came from her research into her own family tree following her mother's passing. Aptowicz discovered that her maternal ancestors, specifically the Price family, were actively involved in the Pennsylvania Underground Railroad. This revelation led her to the story of William Parker and the Christiana Riot (now known as the Christiana Resistance), a pre-dawn standoff in 1851 between enslavers and formerly enslaved individuals, triggered by the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. Parker, an escaped enslaved person, had built a mutual-defense organization, uniting Black and white community members against enslavers. The book details the events of the Christiana Resistance, where an enslaver was killed, leading to federal charges of treason against dozens of men, and the s...
