Senate Resolution No. 1315

BY: Senator KENNEDY

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
September 2021, as Underground Railroad Month in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize
official months that are set aside to celebrate the history and heroism
that guided America to freedom; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim September 2021, as
Underground Railroad Month in the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, This vital month of recognition was established in 2019,
when the State of Maryland proclaimed September as International
Underground Railroad Month; September was chosen to represent this
designation as it is the month two of the most well-known freedom
seekers and Underground Railroad operatives, Frederick Douglass and
Harriet Tubman, escaped from slavery; and

WHEREAS, New York State is proud of its landmarks and institutions
which are important symbols of the Black community's heritage, quest for
freedom, and profound legacy in our State and Nation; these milestone
sites include many stops along the Underground Railroad, a network of
clandestine routes, churches, community resources, and safe houses
established in the United States during the early 19th century by
abolitionists and other individuals offering shelter and aid to enslaved
Black persons in order to facilitate their escape into free states and
Canada; and

WHEREAS, The Underground Railroad movement was a transformative
period in New York State and the United States, as communities across
the country saw the rise of pro-and anti-slavery activities and, while
the movement originated in the Deep South, the North was the destination
for many enslaved persons in flight, who sought freedom in safe regions
above the Mason-Dixon Line; and

WHEREAS, The breadth and scope of New York's role in the Underground
Railroad was vast and varied, as our State was a gateway to liberation
for freedom-seekers along the eastern seaboard who found accessibility
to Canada and major water routes, protection among New York State's
large and vocal freed Black population, support from powerful and active
anti-slavery organizations, and a strong network of Underground Railroad
leaders; and

WHEREAS, Following the abolition of slavery in New York in 1827, the
movement gained momentum, and our State became home to well-known
abolitionists including John Brown, Gerrit Smith, Frederick Douglass,
and Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad's most famous "conductor"
who guided 300 slaves to freedom while making 19 daring rescue trips to
the South and whose home in the City of Auburn is now part of the
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, as well as other heroic persons

with the conviction and courage to join in these missions to freedom;
and

WHEREAS, Through the National Underground Railroad Network to
Freedom Act of 1998, the National Park Service established the National
Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program to tell the story of
resistance against slavery in the United States by means of escape and
flight, and to illustrate the significance of the Underground Railroad
in the abolition of slavery through nationwide preservation and
education efforts and by integrating local historical sites, museums,
interpretive resources, and other facilities and places with verifiable
links to the Underground Railroad; and

WHEREAS, New York State's significant presence and place in the
"Network to Freedom" is represented by events, tours, and research
centers, as well as 22 historic sites, seven churches, and four marked
sites which highlight the Underground Railroad experience; and

WHEREAS, In August of 2012, New York State unveiled its "Path
Through History" to showcase various themes in New York State's rich
heritage and history, including Civil Rights, through a program that
promotes historically and culturally significant sites, locations, and
events across the Empire State, featuring several hundred of the most
important landmarks and milestones in the State, many of them related to
the Underground Railroad, the abolitionist movement, and our country's
emerging civil rights movement; and

WHEREAS, New York State has always shown an inspiring commitment to
civil, social, economic, political and human rights, from its early
actions to end statewide slavery, to its historic role as a link in the
Underground Railroad helping to bring formerly enslaved Black persons to
freedom; today our State remains dedicated to advancing the course of
progress for all people and joins other states in this important
observance that welcomes residents and visitors, inviting them to
explore a "Path Through History" to learn more about our State's pivotal
role in the Underground Railroad; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim September 2021, as
Underground Railroad Month in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.