Annual event to focus on the family of freed slave 

BY JENNIFER FARNSWORTH
jennifer@theballstonjournal.com

The 14th Annual Solomon Northup Day Celebration of Freedom event will have a different spin on it this time around. This year, the event, to be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 21 at the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center, will focus on Northrup’s wife and family. New York State retired librarian and noted historian David Fiske be the guest speaker, taking a look at the life of Ann Hampton, Northup’s wife.

Fiske is a Ballston Spa resident and the author of ”Solomon Northup: His Life Before and After Slavery”, released in January 2012. His presentation will focus on the burden that Northup’s wife Ann was left to face, Fiske said.

Through 12 years of enslavement Northup’s wife was able to endure and survive some very difficult times, all the while keeping her family safe and fed. Given the compelling nature of the Northrup family’s story and its historical significance, Fiske thought it was an important to take note each year of their experiences.

“Researching Solomon Northup has been a continuous pursuit for me since 1998, and it will continue in the future,” said Fiske.

Solomon Northrup Day was founded by Renee Moore, a local resident, in 1999 and is held every July. Fiske said he is grateful to Moore for having kept the story alive.

In 1853, Northup wrote “Twelve Years A Slave”, which was published at the time and became a bestseller. The book is now being made into a full-length feature film in a project spearheaded Brad Pitt.

Pitt is the producer and will be portraying Henry B. Northup. Fiske credits Moore for the book coming to screen.

“When Renee Moore began Solomon Northup Day in 1999, it helped publicize an important local story, a story that was known all over the nation in the 1800s, which had largely become forgotten,” he said. “With a major motion picture in the works, Northup’s story may once again become a national one in the coming months.”

Solomon Northrup Day became official in Saratoga in 2002, when the city declared the third Saturday in July a day to commemorate his fortitude and tenacity, as well as the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity and hardship, Moore said. The purpose is to celebrate awareness about the struggle for freedom in the Americas, and to encourage a better understanding of freedom and justice through the eyes of the African-American experience past and present, she said.

“The mission of the event is to publicly acknowledge the contributions of Solomon Northup along with a testament to the peculiar circumstances that placed him in history; to give citizens an opportunity to appreciate first-hand how, in Solomon Northup’s case, terrible circumstances can lead to a greater benefit of positive change for the larger community; and to remember that the sacrifices made have strengthened our community so we must never forget,” Moore said. “The goal of the event is to honor Solomon Northup and celebrate the diversity and culture of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.”

The reasons to take note of the day are endless, Moore added, but she emphasized that all people face their own struggles. Hopefully, Northrups’s story will inspire people to be triumphant, she said.

“In honoring Mr. Solomon Northup we honor and bring value to Black history itself,” Moore said.

The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served thanks to generous donations from local businesses. For information, call Johnnie Roberts at the Saratoga Springs Heritage Visitor Center at 518-587-3241 or email johnnie.roberts@saratoga-springs.org.

Share: