2 Harriet’s in the Heart of the Hudson Returns

By Jennifer L. Warren

CORNWALL-ON-HUDSON – Up on the Cornwall Presbyterian Church stage, lying on a bed that took up a majority of the roughly 9 feet x 7 feet x 3 feet crawl space, reading the autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and surrounded by a Bible, candlestick and bathroom pot, a young woman could be spotted last Saturday afternoon, February 21, as a mesmerized crowd listened in to the specifics of her remarkable journey.

The very realistic reenactment was one of several memorable moments of the 90 minute community partnership venture between the Cornwall Historical Society and GrantForesight, Inc.: 2 Harriets in the Heart of the Hudson, this year focusing on the juncture of history and heart health. The woman on the stage, Sterling A. Grant, was portraying a powerful piece of the groundbreaking life of one of the local, history icons, hailing from Cornwall-on-Hudson, Harriet Jacobs, born into slavery on February 11, 1813.

An abolitionist and writer, Jacobs was sexually harassed by one of her owners at Idlewood Estate, who threatened to sell her children. In response, the resilient Jacobs, alluded to as “an icon of female resistance,” hid in the tiny crawlspace, not even large enough to stand in, under her grandmother’s house. For seven years, she inhabited the space, one allotted needed air and light by the holes she made in the wall, allowing her to write her memoir, detailing her incredulous life, overcoming insurmountable odds.

“Doing this really made me think about how people back then were put in incredible situations of survival, ones like Anne Frank,” reflected Sterling, the Secretary of Grant Foresight, who added how even 30 minutes of being in the space was a true test of will, allowing her to tangibly feel what many take for granted.“We also tend to think of slavery of just being in the south, but it also happened right here in the Hudson Valley, and it’s just so important to know, as history always has a lesson.”

One of those many lessons-laden with connections that transcend time- surfaced for the second year at this event, as the approximately 30 guests were soon to discover another Harriet, one with a “J” in her namesake as well, not to mention a shared February birthday, not only had deep Cornwall-on- Hudson connections, but like Jacobs was a transformative pioneer of her time. Born two years before Jacobs’ passing, on February 4, 1885, Harriet J. Terry was the first black person to graduate from Cornwall-on-Hudson High School. With aspirations to become a teacher, she enjoyed immense success that spanned four decades as a professor in the collegiate education field. Further, she was one of the sophomore founders of the 1908 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first sorority founded by African American women. She would later bear the distinction of Chapter President.

The program also unraveled discussion surrounding the intriguing possibilities of how despite living in different time periods, these two local, female history legends shared further common ground. Jacobs’ daughter, Louisa, worked in Miner Hall at Howard University from 1903-1908. This was the same exact place where many of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Founders resided. And then there’s the very probable reality that Terry, an English professor, would have come across Jacobs’ riveting memoir at some point in her academic or personal pursuits. That “full circle,” enlightening piece was yet another of the event’s gems, encapsulating universal themes of connections, community, the power of history-transcendence of time and so much more.

“It was really a phenomenal presentation that truly deepened my perspective of community,” said Amani Haskins of West Point, who is majoring in history. “It was really inspiring how both Harriets played such roles in their communities and had multiple impacts on the people in them.”

That community potency was also recreated inside the Church. Each of the thirty guests, dubbed “the beating hearts of the Hudson,” was presented with sparkly, red palm-sized hearts upon their arrival. In addition to participating in a cohesive, group photo displaying these unifying hearts, attendees also recorded on the shape’s back sides any comments, reactions and questions they had on the presentation, placing them on a glass “vision board,” and followed up with their use at a lively and positive question and answer segment. “A heartwarming experience,” “Want more history like this,” “Connections make the world go around,” “Are you looking for Harriet’s relatives?” and “Is history of two Harriets taught in our local schools” were among the comments Sonya Grant and power point presenter of Jacobs, Cynthia Topp, Secretary of the Cornwall Historical Society, and Terry presenter, Susan Kamlet, President of the Cornwall Historical Society, read off of the back of the hearts. Guests also had the opportunity to peruse authentic Harriet memorabilia, receive bookmarks and other insignia items on the area female legends as well as enjoy a birthday cake celebration and networking.

“I found this event extremely informative; I didn’t know about all these people from the Hudson Valley who had such a big impact on the country and world,” said Terence Elmore. “It was inspiring these two people were able to accomplish what they did and lived right here in this area.”

To learn more about this traditionally February scheduled program for the birthdays the Harriets share as well as Black History month and Heart month, contact the Cornwall Historical Society at: (845) 534-6131or email them at:chsmuseum@hotmail.com.