Cazenovia has a human history of a thousand years or so. We remember our history in our place names, arrow head displays, statues, preservation activities, old home restorations, Lorenzo events, etc. To anti-racists, probably our most important historical event was The Fugitive Slave Convention, held here on August 21 and 22, 1850.
The meeting opened on Aug. 21, at the Free Congregational Church of Cazenovia, now the Catherine Cummings Theater on Lincklaen Street. The second day the overflow crowd moved to meet on the site of Grace Wilson’s apple orchard, on Sullivan Street, next to the Presbyterian Church. The meeting laid out the abolitionists' opposition to the proposed Fugitive Slave Act, which would allow federal marshals to arrest and return runaway slaves and punish those who harbored them. Frederick Douglass, Gerrit Smith, many more prominent abolitionists, and about 50 fugitive slaves attended the convention. The Anti Racism Coalition of Cazenovia (ARC-C) will be holding a commemoration of the convention on Sunday, August 18 from 3-5 PM @ the site of the generally acknowledged second day of the convention's activities, Grace Wilson's apple orchard, located @ 11 Sullivan St, Cazenovia, as well as @ the nearby Cazenovia First Presbyterian Church. The program is as follows- At the site of race Wilson’s apple orchard, 3:00
Moving to the First Presbyterian Chapel, until 5:00
This remarkable convention that took place in Cazenovia almost 200 years ago, is an event worth knowing about, celebrating, and learning from. Understanding this historical event can assist us in creating an intentional, equitable, and compassionate future Since much of this important historical event took place in an apple orchard, it seems appropriate to end with these two quotations- “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” MARCUS GARVEY “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.” MICHAEL CRICHTON — Louise Brown Smith Comments are closed.
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