Home | Search this Site | Topics A to Z | Program Offices | Disclaimers and Notices | Contact Us
New York State Freedom Trail Commission to Hold Second Meeting
On March 2, 2000 the New York State Freedom Trail Commission will hold
it's second meeting. The meeting is open to the public and will be held from 1-3:30
p.m. in Room 5A of the Education Building on Washington Avenue in Albany. Room 5A is
located on the 5th floor of the Education Building. Be sure to stop at the guard's desk on
the 1st floor near the elevators to pick up your name badge before you proceed to the 5th
floor.
For further information about the New York State Freedom Trail Program, call the Office of
Cultural Education at 518/474-5976.
View the Freedom Trail Program Study Commission Report Online
First Meeting Held November 1, 1999
On November 1, 1999, the New York State Freedom Trail Commission held its first meeting to
begin the work of implementing a legislatively enacted initiative to document, preserve,
and promote the many unacknowledged Underground Railroad and anti-slavery sites in New
York State.
Under State legislation, the Freedom Trail Commission was given the responsibility of bringing the public and private sectors together to support programs that recognize the significant sacrifices and contributions of the men and women who participated in this massive human rights movement on the long march toward freedom and justice. The State Education Department was named as the coordinating agency.
Members of the New York State Freedom Trail Commission include: Regent Emeritus Walter Cooper (Rochester), Kevin E. Cottrell (Niagara Falls), Sharon Y. Holley (Buffalo), Andrew P. Jackson (Queens), George C. Johnson (Buffalo), Michael Miller (Cheektowaga), Ruth Piwonka, (Kinderhook), Milton Sernett (Syracuse), Gretchen Soren (Cooperstown), A.J. Williams-Myers (New Paltz). Ex-Officio members include: Commissioner Bernadette Castro, Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation; Ms. V. Chapman –Smith, State Archivist; Commissioner Charles A. Gargano, Empire State Development Corp.; Commissioner Richard P. Mills, State Education Department; Dr. Clifford Siegfried, Director, New York State Museum.
The work of the Commission is being informed by a preliminary study of New York State’s Freedom Trail conducted by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The study includes recommendations for the functions of the Commission and for setting program priorities in the areas of tourism, education, and preservation.