Author Amy Godine Discusses The Intersection of African American History and Adirondack Exceptionalism
“The Black Woods: Pursuing Racial Justice on the Adirondack Frontier” author Amy Godine appears at the Grange Hall in Whallonsburg.
In 1846 and 1847, a wealthy upstate abolitionist, Gerrit Smith, parceled out 120,000 Adirondack acres to three thousand poor, landless Black New Yorkers. His goal was to help his “grantees” gain voting rights denied to all Black men except the wealthiest.
At this intriguing presentation, author Amy Godine will discuss findings from her recent book, “The Black Woods: Pursuing Racial Justice on the Adirondack Frontier” (Cornell, 2024).
In her work, Amy Godine delves into how Adirondack exceptionalism impacted various aspects of history. She examines how it affected Smith, the Black activists who aided him in finding his deedholders, the homesteaders themselves, and even the historians, travel writers, and biographers who dismissed Smith's pioneering idea and the Black pioneers for over a century.
From Saratoga Springs, independent scholar Amy Godine is a writer, curator, and lecturer with a longstanding interest in ethnic, migratory, and Black history in the Adirondack region.
For more information, visit The Grange website.
Places to explore near Whallonsburg, NY.
