Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center

Tonight at our Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center we are featuring a Keynote Discussion with Bill Ayers, Damon A. Williams and Daniel Kisslinger of Respair Media from 8pm-9:30pm on the topic of “When Freedom is the Question…” This is in collaboration with Niagara University and 2024 Peace and Justice Studies Association Annual Conference William ‘Bill’ Ayers, co-founder of the militant organization the Weather Underground, is a distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago (retired) has written extensively about social justice and democracy, education and the cultural contexts of schooling, and teaching as an essentially intellectual, ethical, and political enterprise. His books include A Kind and Just Parent; Teaching toward Freedom; Fugitive Days: A Memoir; Public Enemy: Confessions of an American Dissident; To Teach: The Journey, in Comics; Race Course: Against White Supremacy; About Becoming a Teacher; Demand the Impossible! A Radical Manifesto; and When Freedom is the Question Abolition is the Answer: Reflections on Collective Liberation. Damon A. Williams is a movement builder, organizer, hip-hop performing artist, educator and media maker from the south side of Chicago, Cohost of AirGo, and Co-founder of Respair Production & Media. He is the co-director of the #LetUsBreathe Collective, an artistic activist organization that utilizes cultural production and popular education to redistribute power and resources, eradicate systemic violence, and transform inequity. Daniel Kisslinger is a Chicago-based host and producer who creates dialogue-based media showcasing the stories, voices, and artworks of communities challenging power, reconfiguring public life, and reimagining our world. He is the Co-Founder of Respair Production & Media, and is the Co-Creator of AirGo, a weekly podcast in Chicago that reshapes the culture of the city and beyond for the more liberatory and creative.

Join our Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center Director of Community Engagement and Josiah Henson descendant Saladin Allah tomorrow to celebrate the historic journey of freedom seeker Josiah Henson, who crossed into Canada on October 28th, 1830 with his wife and four children! We will be leaving at 9:30am from Pat Sole Park at 888 Columbus Parkway at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Columbus Parkway to Freedom Park in Fort Erie, Ontario Canada. Make sure to have Valid I.D. to cross the border.

🌊 Discover the Hidden History of Niagara Falls' Female Owners! Who really owned one of America's greatest natural wonders? Join attorney & historian Christine Bacon, Esq. as she reveals the fascinating story of the women who legally owned Niagara Falls and their struggle for autonomy in 19th century America. 📅 October 29, 4:00 PM 📍 First Unitarian Universalist Church 639 Main Street Niagara Falls, NY 14301 Free and open to the public #NiagaraFalls #WomensHistory #HiddenHistory #LocalHistory

The Erie County Arts in Public Places Committee is seeking artists to design, fabricate and install public art at the following locations: Seneca Bluffs National Habitat Park Como Lake Park Ellicott Creek Park Erie County Health Mall Buffalo Convention Center Budget is up to $200,000 and submission date ends December 16, 2024 at 12pm. More Information: www4.erie.gov/publicart

Join Tyshaun Tyson, our Niagara Falls National Heritage Area Artist Development Manager, this Thursday, October 24th as his newest mural “Community Hues” is dedicated to the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor. This mural is the newest edition to the community driven “Project C” 💡 and is sponsored and donated by National Grid. Event runs 11am-2pm. FREE Food boxes from FeedMore WNY, FREE BBQ & Vendors to network with! #LHB🎨

Our Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center welcomed the arrival of the Harriet Tubman “Beacon of Hope” monument to Harriet Tubman Plaza yesterday!! “Beacon of Hope”, a traveling Harriet Tubman monument, is a 13-foot bronze statue created by Academy and Emmy Award-winning sculptor Wesley Wofford of Wofford Sculpture Studio. On-loan from Wofford Studios as a temporary exhibit right outside of our Heritage Center, “Beacon of Hope” commemorates Harriet Tubman’s journeys to freedom through Niagara Falls via the International Suspension Bridge and is on view from October 16th, 2024 until January 2nd, 2025. A special evening commemoration event will be held on Friday, November 15th, 2024, at the Heritage Center from 5pm-8pm, commemorating Tubman’s and other freedom seekers’ journeys in the late fall months of November and December.

🎊🎉OFFICIAL GRAND OPENING🎉🎊 Friday, October 18th is the Official Ribbon Cutting of Tugby’s Bazaar!! Owner Nicholas Hurd grew Niagara Falls Adventure Tours, launched Explore Niagara and now has been able to launch Tugby’s Bazaar. In 1852, Thomas Tugby arrived in Niagara Falls from Leicestershire, England and opened his first souvenir shop, Tugby's Mammoth Bazaar, in 1854. The shop was located near the Goat Island Bridge beside the historic Cataract House Hotel and sold a variety of novelties to tourists. In 2024, Niagara Falls resident Nico Santangelo and his partner Nicolas Hurd opened a new Tugby's Bazaar in the bottom floor of 616 Niagara St. The new shop aims to bring back the spirit of the historic shop and the Main Street Americana that Niagara Falls is known for. and his team has sought out to bring this history back and has invited us out to celebrate! DATE: Friday, October 18th TIME: 5:00pm LOCATION: 616 Niagara St.

Today in celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day the Friends of The Turtle (Niagara Falls) led a walk along the Niagara River on the gorge trail to The Turtle!!

Today, on Indigenous People's Day, we honor the rich history, culture, and contributions of our First Nations, especially those connected to Niagara Falls. The Falls hold deep spiritual significance to the Haudenosaunee and other Indigenous Nations, serving as a sacred place long before it became a global landmark. Let's take a moment to reflect on the enduring heritage of the Indigenous communities. ❤️

Our community members came out today to create new public art with our Niagara Falls National Heritage Area!! We would like to THANK Tyshaun Tyson our Artist Development Manager for preparing the mural ledges/design and Amanda West, Allison Congi, Preston Bartels, Rhonda Bivins-Talley, our youth and students from Niagara University!! 🎨❤️