On Wednesday, February 12, 1986, Dr. Monroe Fordham, Chairman of the History and Social Studies Department at Buffalo State College, gave a talk on “The Afro-American Diaspora: Harriet Tubman, ‘Moses of Her People’” in the Albright-Knox Auditorium.
Dr. Monroe Fordham and visitors at the Albright-Knox on February 12, 1986. Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives, Buffalo, New York.
Guests at Dr. Fordham's talk at the Albright-Knox on February 12, 1986. Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives, Buffalo, New York.
Installation view of Jacob Lawrence: The Harriet Tubman Series (Albright-Knox Art Gallery, January 18–March 2, 1986). Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives, Buffalo, New York.
Dr. Fordham highlighted Tubman’s activities both before and after the Civil War. Following the conflict, Tubman dedicated herself to caring for poor and elderly African Americans, initially out of her home and farm in Auburn, New York, and eventually in the purpose-built Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged. The lecture was presented in celebration of Black History Month and the special exhibition Jacob Lawrence: The Harriet Tubman Series, which ran from January 18 through March 2, 1986.
Artist Edreys Wajed at work on a portrait of Harriet Tubman for The Freedom Wall (working title). Photograph by Tom Loonan.
Earlier this year, both Dr. Fordham and Tubman were selected as subjects for The Freedom Wall in recognition of their contribution to the work of civil rights and human rights both locally and nationally. On Sunday, September 17, join us to celebrate The Freedom Wall with the artists—John Baker, Julia Bottoms-Douglas, Chuck Tingley, and Edreys Wajed—and the community. Learn more