(Peterboro, NY – Oct. 2013) In collaboration with the New York Council for the Humanities, the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) presents the lecture, Harriet Tubman: Myth, Memory, and History by Milton C. Sernett PhD. Sunday, Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. at the Smithfield Community Center, 5255 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro.
This lecture is free and open to the general public. This event is made possible through the Speakers in the Humanities program with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This illustrated lecture on Harriet Tubman tells the story of how a black woman, once enslaved but self-liberated, became the dominant symbol of the Underground Railroad and an inspiration today for Americans of diverse backgrounds and reform interests. Audiences hear of the exciting findings of the latest research regarding Tubman the historical person, and of the many ways in which her life has been celebrated by writers, artists, and other creative spirits. Dr. Sernett has completed a book on the interplay of myth, memory and history during the years when Tubman was being canonized as an American saint. In 2005 Tubman was in the first class of abolitionists inducted into the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Peterboro. The Sunday afternoon program follows the Saturday abolition symposia, anti-slavery dinner, and induction ceremonies for Elijah Parish Lovejoy, Myrtilla Miner, John Rankin, and Jonathan Walker.
Dr. Milton C. Sernett professor emeritus of African American Studies and History at Syracuse University taught for over thirty years. A respected and popular author and speaker on African American history, American Abolitionism, and the Underground Railroad, Sernett has published eight books and numerous articles and essays. Sernett is now writing and speaking on agricultural history. Milt is a founding member of the Cabinet of Freedom for the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Peterboro..
For more information about this event, contact the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum at nahof1835@gmail.com, 315-684-3262, or www.nationalabolitionhalloffameandmuseum.org.
Harriet Tubman, NAHOF portrait by Joseph Flores