In a residence hall at Monroe Community College in Brighton, Kip Beardsley displayed collection of hand-woven textiles, representing the modern struggles that Americans have shared with him.
"Lots of stories of individual journeys with, unfortunately, sexual assault and racism and homophobia," he said. "But then also stories of incredible strength and hospitality and healing."
Beardsley is the artist-in-residence with Freedom Walk 2026, a 750-mile pilgrimage retracing Underground Railroad routes followed by Americans trying to flee slavery in the 1800s.
As they stop in communities along the way, they're collecting people's narratives and encouraging them to see how this chapter in American history is relevant to their lives.
"We are encouraging them to look at the characteristics of giants like Harriet Tubman, and the advocacy and communities that helped them, and to honor your own journey and to know that every day you are calling on those same characteristics that led people to freedom in the past," Beardsley said.
Freedom Walk began on May 4 in Montgomery County, Maryland. It will end in Toronto on July 4, the United States' 250th anniversary.
Beardsley sees this as a time of reflection. A chance to consider what it was like for the Underground Railroad advocates to unite in support of the freedom of enslaved Americans.
"I think for us, this is an example of what it's like to come together as a community," he said. "It's an example of what it's like to come together now instead of being torn apart."
The Freedom Walk is hosting a band concert in Macedon Town Park at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
And on Friday, a community walk honoring the legacy of Harriet Tubman is scheduled in Auburn from 9:30 a.m. to noon. It will begin at the Equal Rights Heritage Center at 25 South St.
On June 13, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law a bill authorizing the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Corridor from Auburn to Niagara Falls as part of the state's scenic byway system. The State Department of Transportation is expected to soon begin installing signs connecting the route of Underground Railroad landmarks from central to western New York.
"This byway is going to bring people directly into our neighborhoods and support our local Black-owned businesses, connecting our past directly to our present," said Assemblymember Demond Meeks, D-Rochester.
Supporters of the legislation also said they expect completion of the corridor to bring large numbers of tourists to the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse.
Next year, the proposed route will be extended east toward Albany and south along the Hudson River to New York City.
