1622 State Route 332
Farmington, NY
14425
August 4, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Headline: Rochester-based AKWAABA’s historic enactment troupe performs Women Who Influenced Frederick Douglass at Cobblestone Arts Center in Farmington at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 20. Presented by the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum with funding support by Humanities New York.
The 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum (FQMM) is thrilled to invite the public to attend a dynamic performance of Women Who Influenced Frederick Douglass, an original historic enactment by AKWAABA, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 20. This performance is hosted by Cobblestone Arts Center in their beautiful theatre, located at 1622 State Route 332, Farmington, NY, 14425.
AKWAABA will portray five women who influenced Frederick Douglass. Sojourner Truth will be re-enacted by Eunice White, Harriet Tubman by Maggie Moore Holley, Frederick Douglass’ Grandmother by Robin Nowell, Harriet Jacobs by Dr. Carolyn Edwards, and Anna Murray Douglass by Shirley Strothers.
AKWAABA was organized in 1999 by educator/advocates Ruth and David Anderson with the mission to present tours of Rochester area Underground Railroad sites and dramatic enactments of people and situations that featured in their lectures on local African American history. Ruth Anderson describes the development of AKWAABA over the last two decades: “We began giving tours of the downtown Rochester area, and have expanded our tours to include sites outside the downtown area. We customize our tours and programs to the needs of the group. AKWAABA hopes to expand our programming to include more groups, especially student groups, and to encourage others to become a part of us.”
Cobblestone Arts Center is a community and area gem, with a diversity of offerings ranging from an arts day habilitation program, to an on-site art gallery, to lunchtime music concerts, to staged productions in their fully equipped performing arts center.
The 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum preserves and interprets the 1816 Meetinghouse as a national site of conscience and a cornerstone of historic movements for equal rights, social justice, and peace, including rights for Native Americans, African Americans, and women, encouraging visitors to explore equality, justice, and peace in their own lives. This mission has been realized for over a decade by educational and arts programming in partnership with sister sites and venue partners, such as AKWAABA’s performance at Cobblestone Arts Center on August 20.
Looking ahead, the recent selection of 1816 FQMM as recipient to a National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund grant, combined with other grants and donations, will support physical restoration of the 1816 Meetinghouse structure and site, ensuing in coming months.
This event is free of charge. Donations are welcome.
The 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum (FQMM) program series is supported by Humanities New York, our community partners like Cobblestone Arts Center, and individual donations from our attenders and supporters.
Learn more by following these links: 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum, AKWAABA Tours, and Cobblestone Arts Center.
