Albany, NY — As Black History Month approaches, the Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State (URCNYS) is proud to offer organizations across New York of a their Freedom 2027 Online Calendar, a statewide promotional efforts for events commemorating New York’s abolition of slavery and advancing the continued struggle for a more equitable and just society.
The calendar is a key component of Freedom 2027, URCNYS’s multi-year initiative marking two hundred years of freedom in New York State. After the arrival of the first enslaved people in 1627, New York became the leading state in the North in its reliance on enslaved labor to fuel its growth, wealth, and influence. The movement to end enslavement was long and hard-fought, culminating in the legal abolition of slavery in New York State on July 4, 1827—two centuries after enslavement began.
The Freedom 2027 Online Calendar is designed to highlight and amplify public programs, commemorations, educational offerings, cultural events, and community conversations taking place across New York State over the next two years. These events not only honor the 1827 abolition milestone, but also the continued efforts to abolish the institution of slavery nationally and to connect that history to present-day efforts to confront racism, inequality, and injustice.
“Black History Month invites us to reflect on the past while recommitting ourselves to shaping the future,” said URCNYS leadership. “The Freedom 2027 calendar is a tool to bring visibility to the powerful work happening in communities across the state and to ensure that the story of abolition in New York is widely known, shared, and understood.”
URCNYS encourages all organizations, institutions, and community groups—whether or not they are members of the Consortium—to submit events to the calendar. Museums, historic sites, schools, faith-based organizations, cultural institutions, and grassroots groups are all invited to participate.
By serving as a centralized hub, the Freedom 2027 Online Calendar aims to foster collaboration, increase public awareness, and strengthen statewide engagement around New York’s abolition history and its relevance today.
Event submissions are now being accepted and will be promoted throughout the Freedom 2027 commemoration period.
For more information about Freedom 2027 or to submit an event to the calendar, visit https://www.urcnys.org/freedom2027.
