TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Those attending a national conference on the Underground Railroad this week are exploring how Kansas contributed to the freedom of blacks across the country.

The 2010 National Underground Railroad to Freedom Program Conference will run through Saturday in Topeka.

Quintard Taylor, a professor of American history at the University of Washington), says Kansas played a key role in fighting slavery. He cited abolitionist John Brown bringing slaves through the state and the the Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit.

James Morgans, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, who has written two books on the Underground Railroad, says Kansas was instrumental in stifling the spread of slavery. He says that makes Topeka an ideal place to hold the national conference for professors and historians.

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