150 years

This January marks the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. We may think of this mid-Civil War landmark as a response to the practices of the Southern states, but all Americans were part of the history of slavery…and we still are. Locally, we know many homes served as stops along the Underground Railroad and, perhaps most notably, the anti-slavery activist John Brown had a farm in the Adirondacks.

To mark this 150th anniversary, John Brown Lives!, North Country Community College and the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation are collaborating on a full schedule of events this Friday and Saturday, November 30 and December 1.

On The Blue Note today, from 3-5 pm, I’ll be playing some music celebrating civil rights and freedom…and reminding you about the extraordinary range of activities being planned for this weekend.

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, emancipation proclamation, Frederick Douglass, John Brown Lives!, North Country Community College