FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT PAT LAMANNA, 845-309-3853 or patla42@gmail.com
Between Wednesday, May 26 and Sunday, May 31, there will be a series of events in Poughkeepsie in conjunction with a historic walk. #FreedomWalk2026 is a modern-day retracing of the Underground Railroad to Canada, on the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. The 750-mile pilgrimage, following 19th-century routes to freedom, will commemorate the brave self-liberators, the abolitionists, and their secret networks. More information can be found at https://www.menare.org/freedomwalk2026-about.
The group’s leader is Anthony Michael Cohen, a historian, author, and founder and president of The Menare Foundation, Inc., a national nonprofit organization dedicated to “Preserving the Legacy of the Underground Railroad.” The group arrives in Poughkeepsie on Tuesday, May 25 and will stay at the Oakwood Friends School. The events taking place during the group’s sojourn in Poughkeepsie include:
May 27, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Local Walk #1: The Role of Local Churches in the Anti-Slavery
Movement
Gather at the Family Partnership Center parking lot, 29 North Hamilton St. This walk will highlight the places of worship and people that were influential in the anti-slavery movement, including Smith Metropolitan AME Zion Church, First Congregational Church, and Second Baptist Church.
May 28, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Oakwood Friends School, 22 Spackenkill Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601
A Bonfire Gathering with Historian Anthony Michael Cohen
Please join us for moments of silence, song, and a sharing from Tony Cohen about his journey - what it was like in the past, what it is like today, and what it stands for now, in this particular day and time.
May 29, gather at 3:45 pm, program starts promptly at 4:00 pm
Local Walk #2: River Trail to Freedom and Walkway Over the Hudson
Please join us at the Celebrating the African Spirit memorial in Waryas Park, then walk to Upper Landing Park, across the Walkway Over the Hudson, and end at the Sojourner Truth statue to highlight the history of the anti-slavery movement and influential leaders in our area.
May 31, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
Family Partnership Center, 29 North Hamilton Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
The community is joyously invited to celebrate this historic journey with Tony Cohen and his team. This event will honor the courage, hope, faith and unity that shaped this pivotal chapter in American history with a blessing, music, reflections, remarks from Tony Cohen, and refreshments.
These events are being sponsored by a large number of community partners, listed below:
The Gillespie Forum
Celebrating the African Spirit
Poughkeepsie Public Library District
The Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Branch Library
Mayor Yvonne Flowers
Jamar Cummings, City Chamberlain
Dutchess County Historical Society
Dutchess County Interfaith Council
ENJAN (End the New Jim Crow Action Network)
Family Partnership Center
Smith Metropolitan AME Zion Church
First Congregational United Church of Christ
Christ Episcopal Church Outreach Committee
The Reformed Church of Poughkeepsie
Hudson Valley Gospel Singers & Musicians
The Living History Theater and The Afro Living Library
Somatic Historian: Patina Apis Nikki
Mid-Hudson Anti-Slavery History Project
Oh, Freedom! Quilting Project
Young Adult Committee, Northern Dutchess NAACP Nubian Directions II, Inc.
Poughkeepsie Friends Quaker Meeting and Oakwood Friends School
Walkway Over the Hudson/Friends of the Walkway
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Poughkeepsie
Adams Fairacre Farms
Ulster Savings Bank
Stewart’s Shops
