The Fifth Annual Frederick Douglass in Newburgh

By Jennifer L. Warren

NEWBURGH – Two iconic facets of Newburgh history collided on Sunday, August 11, when the Annual Frederick Douglass Day in Newburgh was hosted at the City’s Washington’s Headquarters.

Inside this 84 Liberty Street landmark, historical site, surrounded by a sharp, colorful image of our country’s first President, Washington, professional actor, G. Oliver King, clad in distinct attire of the 19th Century time period, could be seen taking on the persona of Douglass. Poised and immersed in the iconic leader of the abolitionist movement, educator, writer and speaker’s being-essence, King deftly delivered Douglass’ riveting, infamous speech centering upon the ratification of the 15th Amendment, granting black men the right to vote. Originally given on the same exact date (August 11) of 1870, less than a mile from the Headquarters’ venue, the transformative words, carried deep potency 156 years later. Further, similar to what happened in the event’s previous four years, the occasion created priceless unity.

“People walked away with inspiration; just the fact that they can sit in a space together, and not focus on blame, but growth and education, is a beautiful thing,” said the Day’s organizer, Gabriele Burton-Hill. “These are things that Douglass really emphasized, and we can continue to see today with gatherings such as this.”

Further enhancing this fifth year event’s specialness were some of the guests in attendance, such as City of Newburgh Mayor, Torrance Harvey, also a veteran History Teacher at Newburgh Free Academy, who introduced King, prior to his reenactment of Douglass, providing the rich, deep history connected to the trailblazer’s life. The multi-generational crowd also was treated to the importance of the upcoming election and our privilege of voting, something hard fought for and dear to Douglass’ heart. That privilege, one that came with plenty of blood, sweat and tears, was not only awarded at a high cost to black men, but women as well. That recognition was yet another piece Burton-Hill added to this year’s celebration.

“As they say, behind every great man is a great woman, same was true for Frederick Douglass,” said Burton-Hill. “So this year, we wanted to honor his wife, Anna Murray, who was a seamstress and spoke about women’s rights, and actually sewed her husband a sailor outfit so he could escape slavery.”

That strong female theme further extended to another part of this year’s program: “Honoring women in the Newburgh community who uplift.” Including a spoken word performance of Sojourner Truth’s, “I am Woman,” the three hour Douglass Day also witnessed 10 Newburgh women receiving Anna Murray Douglass Certificates of Excellence, presented by Mayor Harvey.

“This year’s event was an opportunity to identify folks passionate about their work and instilling pride in their community,” explained Burton-Hill. “It’s very important for black women as a group in a society that often discredits and overlooks their successes- portraying them in a not always positive light, as they do in such places as reality shows- to see women doing positive things as role models, giving back to their communities in addition to doing their jobs.”

Among those honored with Certificates were; Jemika Hall (Family Matters), Sabrina Dolfinger and Dr, Natasha Freeman-Mack (Education-Newburgh Enlarged City School District), Lillie Howard (Music), Lorraina Rutherford (Dance), Christine Hutchinson (Agriculture), Michelle Corporan (Art), Glenda Faison and Malinda Ware (Literacy), and Jennifer Rawlison (Environmental Justice.)

Refreshments were also shared as well as a getting-to-know one another activity, something Burton-Hill tries to include in every activity she hosts, stressing community bonding.

“We had a ‘Strangers know more’ slogan displayed, encouraging people getting to know people,” said Burton-Hill. “There is an urgent need for us to come together, especially in the brown and black community.”

Next year’s Frederick Douglass Day in Newburgh is already in the planning stages, with an emphasis being placed on celebrating our youth and their amazing contributions to the community.