Saturday, May 5, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
At the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid, NY
Attending the event is free. Donations would be appreciated.

John Brown Day was created in order to honor two great men– Frederick Douglass and John Brown. They were abolitionists who sought to give rights to people who were denied them in a time when slavery was an accepted practice. Yet, there is another more current purpose of this event; people must be made aware that slavery still exists today, and it is a problem that we must acknowledge and strive to destroy as best we can. “There are an estimated 27 million men, women and children held in some form of slavery in the world today, generating billions of dollars along the supply chain of labor and products that make much of our daily lives possible” [New York History Blog]. The profits and easier lives do not excuse the means that are being used to attain them, and if our daily lives have to change to make sure humanity is doing what is right, then we must deal with the hardships and the consequences and do the best we can to ensure the end of human trafficking and slavery.

There will be several speeches and performances throughout the program:

• The keynote address, “Brown and Douglass: A Friendship, an Enduring Legacy” given by Kenneth B. Morris Jr., direct descendant of Frederick Douglass and Executive Director of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation.
• “Human Trafficking in New York Today.” A report by Renan Salgado, a human trafficking specialist.
• The Frederick Douglass Student Club of Rochester orators will read passages from Douglass’s works.
• Musical performances by S.A.I. and The Wannabees.

The event is sponsored by John Brown Lives! in cooperation with the John Brown Farm State Historic Site. Visit the John Brown Lives! Friends of Freedom on Facebook to learn more about this organization.

For more information about the event call 518-962-4758 or email johnbrownlives@johnbrownlives.org.

Related articles

• John Brown Day Planned for May 5th (adirondackalmanack.com)