On Friday, October 12, at 12 noon, the Urban League of Rochester will host a tribute to the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman in Washington Square Park downtown. The event will feature poems, dance, spoken word, and a toast to Tubman.

“Harriet Tubman is a hero in the story of Black freedom in America, and we are honored to honor her,” said Dr. Seanelle Hawkins, President and CEO of the Urban League of Rochester. “Because of her courageous efforts and those of fellow ‘conductors’ along the Underground Railroad, thousands of enslaved people escaped to freedom in the North years before slavery was abolished.”

In celebration of Tubman’s 200th birthday, a traveling monument called Journey to Freedom is temporarily on display in Washington Square Park. The statue was created by Wesley Wofford Sculpture Studio and portrays Tubman leading a young child to freedom across rocky terrain.

For more information about Harriet Tubman and Journey to Freedom’s time in Rochester, please visit https://www.tubmanroc.com.

Questions and media inquiries may be directed to ebenedick@ulr.org.