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Frederick Douglass and the Power of the Black Archives
February 28, 2026 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST
A community reading of “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” and collecting for the Black Experience in the Adirondacks
Join us in creating Black history archives in a community reading, discussion, and collection. Together we will collectively read Frederick Douglass’ What to the Slave is the Fourth of July before a conversation on storytelling and the importance of recorded Black history, featuring speakers from the Underground Railroad Education Center and the Adirondack Experience museum. You will also have the opportunity to contribute memorabilia to the soon-to-be permanent exhibition The Black Experience in the Adirondacks at the Adirondack Experience museum. There will be a hybrid event on February 18 to give insight into the collection in Gathering Stories: Black Experiences in the Adirondacks.
Frederick Douglass’ legacy demonstrates the importance of archives. Using speeches, photography, and print media, this man who was born into slavery became one of the most important figures in Black history. Douglass gave speaking tours, was the most photographed man in America during the 19th century, and wrote books and published The North Star press. We know so much about him and his experience because of his archive, and participants will leave a legacy of their own with archive opportunities during this event.
Attendees will collectively read Frederick Douglass’ abolitionist speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” (which will be recorded and archived in audio and video form followed by a panel discussion which will include the Underground Railroad Education Center as well as Charles Clark III, the Project Curator for the exhibition The Black Experience in the Adirondacks. The community will then have the opportunity to contribute memorability connected to the Black experience in the Adirondacks to an upcoming exhibition.
Featuring:
Lacey Wilson, Teen Museum Studies Program Manager of Underground Railroad Education Center
Lacey was born in Washington DC and has spent 10 years in public history, leading tours, managing sites, and engaging with oral histories and local communities. Today, she plans and implements a museum studies program for teenagers at the Underground Railroad Education Center in addition to sitting on the advocacy and nominations committees with the National Council of Public History.
Paul & Mary Liz Stewart, Co-Founders of Underground Railroad Education Center (UREC)
UREC is a non-profit organization which grew out of a research project on the Underground Railroad in the Capital Region by Paul and Mary Liz Stewart. Their work uncovered the voices and stories of people written out of this history. Together, these voices provide a different accounting of Underground Railroad activism and change the American narrative.
Since its incorporation in 2003, Underground Railroad Education Center has created a strong program of education and research that celebrates and preserves the story of the Underground Railroad in Albany and the Capital Region and its relationship with us today. URHPCR has identified the key primary and secondary figures and their activities, and has developed a general outline of the local history of the movement.
Charles Clark III, curator of The Black Experience in the Adirondacks
Charles employs a Pan-Africanist methodology, enriched by material cultural approach, to transform exhibition making in museums. His work addresses ethno cultural erasure and brings to light marginalized narratives within art history. His approach not only enhances the representation of diverse voices but also redefines the role of museums as spaces for critical dialogue and cultural exploration.
In 2027, the Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake, will open The Black Experience in the Adirondacks, a new permanent, interactive exhibition. This exhibition will comprehensively explore the history of Black people in the region, from their important and well-documented role in the settlement and development of the Adirondacks to current efforts ensuring an inclusive community and enriching the region’s recreational opportunities.
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