On Friday, February 5 at 7 p.m., the Village of Brockport will join with The College at Brockport to celebrate two of Brockport’s prominent 19th Century African-American figures and their families: William Page and Fannie Barrier Williams.
The celebration includes presentations, musical performance and refreshments. It will take place on the College campus in the New York Room in Cooper Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
Sarah Cedeño, Brockport Village Historian and Lecturer in the College at Brockport’s English Department, will discuss the lives of the William Page family and their place in Brockport’s history.
William Page, born into slavery in 1834 in Florida, was sent to western New York via the Underground Railroad. Page earned his certificate in civil engineering from Rochester before raising his family in Brockport.
Ann Frey, retired Brockport Central School history teacher, will present the life of Brockport-born Fannie Barrier Williams.
Mrs. Williams was a nationally known lecturer who worked tirelessly to promote programs to benefit the free and newly freed black women. She helped establish the NAACP and Chicago’s Provident Hospital—the first black-owned and operated hospital in America.
In addition to presentations, College at Brockport student Oscia Miles, an Interdisciplinary Arts major, will perform a speech written by Fannie Barrier Williams. Pianist Greg Turner will entertain the audience with some music composed by Harry Page.
The evening will conclude with punch and a birthday cake to celebrate the February birthday of Mrs. Barrier Williams.
This event is co-sponsored by the Museum Studies/Public History Program at the College at Brockport and the Emily L. Knapp Museum and Library of Local History in the Village of Brockport. Additional support is provided by the Department of Anthropology, the Department of History and the Office of the College Provost.
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