2 Harriet’s Kicks Off Women’s History Month

Karen Edelman-Reyes, Town of Cornwall Board Member and candidate for Orange County Judge; Susan Kamlet, President of the Cornwall Historical Society; and Sonya Grant, who leads GrantForesight and is a 33 year life member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. The three were in attendance at Sunday’s “2 Harriets on the Hudson” presentation, celebrating the lives of two transformative, courageous, and resilient African- American women, keeping alive their incredible legacies.
Karen Edelman-Reyes, Town of Cornwall Board Member and candidate for Orange County Judge; Susan Kamlet, President of the Cornwall Historical Society; and Sonya Grant, who leads GrantForesight and is a 33 year life member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. The three were in attendance at Sunday’s “2 Harriets on the Hudson” presentation, celebrating the lives of two transformative, courageous, and resilient African- American women, keeping alive their incredible legacies.

By Jennifer L. Warren

CORNWALL – “They are events that bring me to tears, moving me to my core.”

These are the emotions that surface every time Susan Kamlet joins forces with Sonya Grant and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. It’s a deeply cherished partnership, rooted in the deep admiration for and celebration of some local, transformative female historical figures who both happen to share the name Harriet. First, it was the exhilarating, unified venture of revealing historical nuggets connected to Alpha Kappa Alpha Co-founder and trailblazer educator, Harriet Josephine Terry, and most recently, slave, abolitionist, writer and community advocate, Harriet Jacobs.

On Saturday, around 50 guests turned out for the “2 Harriet’s on the Hudson,” an event celebrating the trailblazing lives of two remarkable area African- American women: Harriet Jacobs, an abolitionist, writer and community advocate and Harriet Josephine Terry, an educator, co-founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and community advocate. Despite several decades separating these iconic women’s lives, their stories, laden with perseverance, grit and uplifting transformation, share an unbreakable bond whose lessons are timeless and worthy of celebration.
On Saturday, around 50 guests turned out for the “2 Harriet’s on the Hudson,” an event celebrating the trailblazing lives of two remarkable area African- American women: Harriet Jacobs, an abolitionist, writer and community advocate and Harriet Josephine Terry, an educator, co-founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and community advocate. Despite several decades separating these iconic women’s lives, their stories, laden with perseverance, grit and uplifting transformation, share an unbreakable bond whose lessons are timeless and worthy of celebration.

“Sonya and a friend (Nyisha Gibbs) came to me several years ago about Terry and wanting to learn more about her,” recalled Kamlet, President of the Cornwall Historical Society.” Once we started researching her, it got contagious, and we just couldn’t stop until Covid set in.”

Those diligent efforts resulted in an ensemble of milestones, including; on June 10, 2021, a historic marker in her name being placed across the street from the building where Terry graduated Cornwall-on-Hudson School. Soon after, a Harriet Josephine Terry Day was declared on June 10, 2023, followed by the declaration of the official, annual celebration of her birthday, February 4. It was here, on its inaugural 2024 date, inside the Cornwall Presbyterian Church, that Reverend Jeff Geary informed Kamlet of another iconic Harriet: Jacobs, author of the potent autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.

“It was absolutely amazing,” exclaimed Kamlet about the eye-opening read.

After Kamlet and Grant discovered, Jacobs’ birthday was on February 11, the duo set out to mark the date with an African-American History Celebration, one that did not come to fruition; however an ensuing one did bloom: The 2 Harriet’s concept. Realizing both of these African-American trailblazer females left indelible footprints- via remarkable qualities of strength, bravery and perseverance- on their communities and beyond, Kamlet and Grant were eager to spread their inspiring journeys to the area they once inhabited.

Saturday, inside of the Cornwall Presbyterian Church the fruits of Kamlet and Grant’s arduous labors came to life for the second time (a smaller, inaugural similar event was staged), as they deftly paid tribute to the Two Harriets in the form of a power point presentation, laden with intriguing morsels of historical information on these women as well as provided an up-close-and-personal perspective on the conditions that surrounded them.

“I helped design a collapsible attic crawl space to fit into my car and demonstrate (where Jacobs lived for seven years as a slave) with a teenage girl what it was like to be in that space,” explained Kamlet, a retired 35 year veteran teacher. “It really made history come alive; the audience was very still, emotionally bereft, and they came up to us, saying how incredulous it was that this really happened.”

Jacobs, whose life spanned 1813-1897, was born into slavery. Enduring sexual abuse from her owner, she hid in a tiny crawl space in her grandmother’s attic for seven years. Eventually, she found freedom in 1842, fleeing north to New York. Her groundbreaking, articulate autobiography details the incredible obstacles she encountered, endured and prevailed against. Meanwhile, Terry was not only the co-founder of the first African-American sorority, but a devoted educator on both the high school and collegiate levels as well as skilled member of the engraving and printing industries. She was around 12 when Jacobs passed, living from 1885-1967, a different era, yet the two African-American women were intertwined on multiple levels: advocacy, leadership, education, a legacy of empowerment and their Hudson Valley roots. It’s that very continuum, one chock full of connections and lessons that Grant- as well as Kamlet-are passionate about keeping alive, treasuring local history and its deeply embedded spirit along with the empowering impact it presents.

“The event’s success was a testament to the power of history in shaping our present and future; seeing the Cornwall community, along with surrounding towns and cities, come together to reflect, learn and be inspired by these remarkable women, whom I affectionately branded ‘Harriet Squared,’ was truly impactful,” said Grant. “We must continue to celebrate the gift of life and find creative ways to memorialize those who have paid it forward.”

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