John Brown Lives! has announced “John Brown Day: A Day of Reflection. A Day of Action.” is set for May 4th, 2019 from 2 to 4 pm, at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site.
John Brown Day is a commemoration honoring women and men whose work invokes the passion and conviction of the 19th-century abolitionist who dedicated his life to the cause of liberation.
This year’s awardees are:
Dr. Barbara Ransby, professor of African American Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, and History at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) where she directs the campus-wide Social Justice Initiative. Barbara is a historian, professor, activist, and author of Making All Black Lives Matter.
Lewis Papenfuse, former Executive Director of the Worker Justice Center of New York based in Rochester. Throughout his career, Lewis has fought for justice and human rights for agricultural and other low wage workers in New York State.
Janet McFetridge, retired French teacher and member of Plattsburgh Cares. Janet has been bearing compassionate witness to immigrants and refugees fleeing the US for fear of deportation at an unofficial border crossing into Canada.
Musical Guest will be Taina Asili, a singer, filmmaker and activist from Albany. You can watch a 10 minute music video documentary about the food justice work of Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm that inspired JBL! to invite Taina to John Brown Day here.
John Brown Day is free and open to the public. A reception follows at 5 pm at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex Base Lodge. Reception tickets are $30 per person. To reserve your tickets for the reception, click here.
John Brown Farm State Historic Site is located on John Brown Road near Lake Placid, in the town of North Elba.
A version of this article first appeared on the Adirondack Almanack.
John Brown’s heart was in the right place, but not his mind. I wouldn’t be so quick to celebrate his life.
Murder is not a good starting point for giving esteem to one not deserving of it. Whatever Brown’s motives were at Harper’s Ferry, he went too far and resorted to violent means to accomplish his goals. Bad for business and the cause for civil rights.
M. DeBonis.
Murder was a good starting point for Moses. He was God’s prophet and led the children of Israel from bondage. Likewise John Brown was a catalyst and inspiration for the starting of the Civil War. That one man could have such conviction for the downtrodden is amazing. I celebrate his life, his love of his fellow man, and his death. He is among the greatest of all Americans.
David Huber, Palmyra NY