Harriet Tubman Day
Events
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, partnering with the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center and City of Auburn, NY, will celebrate Harriet Tubman Day on March 10, 2026. Harriet Tubman Day honors the heroic life and legacy of an American champion of freedom and equality on the date of her passing on March 10, 1913.
Special commemorative activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the historic Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, which was the site of Tubman’s 1913 funeral, and nearby Parsonage building, which serves as the park’s visitor center. The 12:00 noon proclamation ceremony will be held in the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located at 47 Parker Street in Auburn. Other park activities will include: special ranger programs; family-friendly arts and crafts; a community “Wish Wall” for the 250th; and two educational displays – highlighting birthday cards made by local school children for Harriet Tubman’s 200th birthday, as well as excerpts from her obituary and eulogies in the Pastor’s study at the Church.
This year’s theme for Harriet Tubman Day is “Towards a More Perfect Union,” connecting with the Semiquincentennial of independence this year and Freedom 250. Drawn directly from the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, the phrase speaks to the nation’s courage, as demonstrated by the life and work of Harriet Tubman, who demanded that America’s promises be expanded to all.
For more information and details, visit the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park’s website.
The event will conclude with a special evening program from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center, located at 25 South Street in Auburn. Rev. Paul G. Carter of the Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., will provide opening remarks, followed by keynote speaker Dr. Tanisha M. Jackson of both Syracuse University and the Community Folk Art Center. Park rangers will staff an activity table, while the Harriet Tubman Boosters community group will run a photo station.
The park will provide ASL interpretation at the proclamation ceremony, two park ranger talks, and the evening lecture, thanks to a grant from the National Park Foundation. Parking will be free at the Downtown Lincoln Street Parking Garage.
“Freedom Is a Practice: Harriet Tubman, Black Women’s Cultural Work, and the Making of a More Perfect Union”
Harriet Tubman’s life reminds us that freedom is not a static ideal—it is an ongoing practice. In this lecture, Dr. Tanisha Jackson places Tubman’s legacy in conversation with contemporary Black women artists who build creative spaces rooted in wellness, mutual care, and social transformation. Through historical reflection and contemporary case studies, this talk explores how Black women’s cultural work functions as a form of civic leadership and grassroots democracy. By examining art-making as liberation work, we consider how communities continue Tubman’s charge to demand justice and expand the meaning of citizenship.
