Doors open 5:00 p.m. Program begins 6:00 p.m. Free admission
All are welcome to join in the observation of the 190th anniversary of what famously became the Utica Riot. On October 21st, 1835, Utica was to host the founding meeting of the controversial New York State Anti-Slavery Society. That event became a flash point as leading elements of the city denounced the Society’s advocacy for the immediate abolition of slavery. To understand where we are today, we believe that Utica’s history of organizing for freedom needs to be highlighted.
Speakers include Rev. Sharon Baugh, Hope Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church; Tabo Bo of Nomadic Voices; Hilda Jordan, HMJ Equity Consulting; Professor Emeritus Jan DeAmicis of the Oneida County Freedom Trail Commission, Deirdre Sinnott, Novelist and Activist.
Rev. Baugh said, “Hope Chapel is the Mohawk Valley’s oldest African American congregation, with roots deeply grounded in the struggle for freedom. From resisting corporate greed to confronting racial profiling, our history has always been one of courage and conviction. Today, the challenges facing our democracy represent an extreme moral crisis. We must stand firm in defending freedom of speech, opposing racial profiling, resisting attacks on due process, and challenging corporate control over access to information.”
“Oneida County and Utica have a rich abolition and Underground Railroad history,” said Mary Hayes Gordon, co-chair of the Oneida County Freedom Trail Commission. “The Commission has created a walking tour of sites in Downtown Utica where significant historic events can be explored.”
Endorsers: Oneida County History Center; National Abolition Hall of Fame & Museum; Underground Railroad History Project; Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State. Oneida County Black History Archive; Center for Historical Research at Utica University; Oneida County NAACP.
Sponsored by Hope Chapel, Oneida County Freedom Trail Commission, The
Utica Phoenix, & Bank of Utica.
