John Brown: America250 Events!

John Brown: America250 Events!

Upcoming Events

  • John Brown and Frederick Douglass - A Legacy of Freedom

    May 30, 2026

    Harpers Ferry National Park, admission fee Included with park admission.

    Among the festivities, a Douglass reenactor will perform a reading of "A Lecture on John Brown" on the campus of Storer College.

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  • Film Screening: His Truth is Marching On

    June 8, 11:00 AM

    Baldwin Center
    1000 W Broad St, Stratford, CT 06615

    Daniel Morrison, of the John Brown Project, will screen and discuss his award-winning musical documentary film, why it was made, and what is coming next.

    Private Juneteenth celebration event, not open to the public

  • John Brown, In His Own Words

    June 29 via Zoom

    7:00 - 8:30 PM, Eastern
    6:00 - 7:30 PM Central
    5:00 - 6:30 PM Mountain
    4:00 - 5:30 PM Pacific
    12:00 AM (Midnight) in London
    10:00 AM in Sydney

    Ian Barford is a TONY nominated stage actor and long time ensemble member of Chicago’s acclaimed Steppenwolf Theater. Ian has been deeply engaged in the life of John Brown since 2001, and deeply engaged with Dr. Lou almost that long

    Robert L. Tsai, Ph.D., is Professor of Law and Warren Memorial Scholar at Boston University School of Law, where he teaches courses in constitutional law, presidential leadership, and individual rights. Professor Tsai’s latest book is Demand the Impossible: One Lawyer’s Pursuit of Equal Justice for All.

    Click Here

  • Musical Tour: Singing Our Journey to Freedom

    June 12 - 25
    Locations: North Elba, NY, Torrington, CT, Harper’s Ferry, WV, and Sharpsburg MD

    Led by Dr. Kathy Bullock, Singing Our Journey to Freedom Tour is not just a music tour, it is a moving classroom tracing the unfinished work of emancipation across America. Songs of Slavery and Emancipation are primary-source historical documents in the form of song.

    REGISTER NOW:

    North Elba, NY June 17

    Torrington, CT, June 22

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  • Readings: Declaration of Liberty & Provisional Constitution

    July 4-5
    Location: John Brown Farm, North Elba, NY

    Actor Ian Barford will read John Brown’s Declaration of Liberty and his Provisional Constitution for the Subterranean Pass-way community designed to break the system of slavery through hopelessness and attrition.

  • Independence Day live-stream celebration

    July 4, 2026

    The whole Browniac coalition are planning some sort Independence Day Live Stream, from coast to coast-and-between, but we do not have the details yet.

    Owen Brown Gravesite Committee invites members from different civic groups to read parts of the Declaration.

    If you want to learn more, lean in, or lurk later, let Michele know.

    Email Michele

  • America's First Martyrs Day

    July 5, 2026

    While celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary, remember the slain activists and protesters, of any era in U.S. history, and those slain in America whose untimely deaths led to positive changes in this nation as well as those who made extraordinary sacrifices for equal justice throughout their lifetime. They are American martyrs.

    The Declaration of Independence is a protest document. 1776-2026

    "Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground." — Frederick Douglass

    "This government was founded on protest."
    — Thurgood Marshall, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
    and renowned Civil Rights Attorney

    LEARN MORE

  • Transcendentalist Fantasy Camp Roundtable

    July 20, via Zoom

    7:00 - 8:30 PM, Eastern
    6:00 - 7:30 PM Central
    5:00 - 6:30 PM Mountain
    4:00 - 5:30 PM Pacific
    12:00 AM (Midnight) in London
    10:00 AM in Sydney

    John Brown and the Transcendentalists
    Lou is joined by Nell Painter, Ph.D., and David Reynolds, Ph.D., for a deep look into ‘deeper insights’ on “The Old Man,” How did the Transcendentalists, like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, see John Brown?

    REGISTER NOW

  • History on Tap

    October 15, 2026

    Allstadt’s Ale House
    408 Alstadts Hill Rd
    Harpers Ferry, WV

    An evening talk by Jim Silvia, a Harper’s Ferry tour guide, titled “Liquid Courage – The Townspeople’s reaction to the John Brown Raid.”

    Click Here

  • Pilgrimage to Harpers Ferry

    October 16-18
    Locations: Harper’s Ferry, WV

    A Harper’s Ferry BROWNIAC MEETUP!

    While there probably will not be extra room in our AirBnB, there will certainly be room to walk with us as we explore Harper’s Ferry, pepper Dr. Lou with questions, and enjoy the scenery.

  • A moonlight hike at John Brown's birthplace

    Dec 6
    Location: John Brown Birthplace, John Brown Rd., Torrington, CT

    Memorial moonlight hike at John Brown birthplace—walk in the footsteps of young John Brown in memorial of his execution in this annual memorial hike. It is on flat ground and less than a mile, but make sure Captain Brown would approve of your footwear.

  • TIMBUCTOO AND BACK AGAIN

    Aug 10 via Zoom

    7:00 - 8:30 PM, Eastern
    6:00 - 7:30 PM Central
    5:00 - 6:30 PM Mountain
    4:00 - 5:30 PM Pacific
    12:00 AM (Midnight) in London
    10:00 AM in Sydney

    Amy Godine, Tanya Jones, and Hadley Kruczek-Aaron join Dr. Lou for a deep dive into the Adirondack experiences of some Black New Yorkers.

  • Two Farms of John Brown

    Sept 14 via Zoom

    7:00 - 8:30 PM, Eastern
    6:00 - 7:30 PM Central
    5:00 - 6:30 PM Mountain
    4:00 - 5:30 PM Pacific
    12:00 AM (Midnight) in London
    10:00 AM in Sydney

    Sandra Weber, Ed Malikas, and maybe Sprig Lynn will join Lou in looking closer at the Two John Brown farms currently available for looking at: the Kennedy Farm in Sharpsburg, MD, and the John Brown Farm in North Elba, NY.

    They’ll also talk about an under-talked-about man: Henry Thompson, who built the house in North Elba.

  • John Brown and The Raiders

    Oct 26 via Zoom

    7:00 - 8:30 PM, Eastern
    6:00 - 7:30 PM Central
    5:00 - 6:30 PM Mountain
    4:00 - 5:30 PM Pacific
    12:00 AM (Midnight) in London
    10:00 AM in Sydney

    Not a new rock band.
    Harper’s Ferry raider descendant, Lewis Hughes will join journalist Eugene Meyer and (maybe) Brianna Wheeler as the tell some untold stories of the famed Harper’s Ferry Raiders.

  • Faith in Action, Action, ACTION!

    Nov 16 via Zoom

    7:00 - 8:30 PM, Eastern
    6:00 - 7:30 PM Central
    5:00 - 6:30 PM Mountain
    4:00 - 5:30 PM Pacific
    12:00 AM (Midnight) in London
    10:00 AM in Sydney

    Lou is joined by Ryan Johnson, Ph.D., a philospher who has come to the conclusion that allys must become ACCOMPLICES.

List your #JohnBrown250 Event

Let us know what you’ve got going on in your neck of the woods and we will help promote it!

John Brown: America250 Previous Events

  • Growin' Up Brown

    The John Brown: America250 roundtable series continues as John Brown's great descendent, Marty Brown, joins Lou DeCaro Jr. to commiserate on myth-busting through the decades.

    Marty Brown will explore what it's like growing up as part of the "first litter" of Browns and talk about reactions from regular people, reflections on the New Yorker piece, and how our hero is portrayed in the media, academia, and folklore.

    May 17 on Zoom

    7:00 - 8:30 PM, Eastern
    6:00 - 7:30 PM Central
    5:00 - 6:30 PM Mountain
    4:00 - 5:30 PM Pacific
    12:00 Midnight in London
    10:00 AM in Sydney

    Click Here

  • John Brown Week

    May 5-10
    John Brown Week ran from Cinco de Mayo to Mother’s Day and took place in Torrington, CT, where Brown was born. John Brown week celebrates community, truth, and family values.

    Tuesday: Cinco de Mayo Theme: Resistance and Responsibility — Freedom in the Americas

    Saturday: TWO John Brown Birthday Parties: In Torrington, a free concert by abolitionist singer-songwriter Reggie Harris was sponsored by the Torrington Historical Society.

    In North Elba, John Brown Day took place at the farm, with honorees of the John Brown Spirit of Freedom Awards.

    Sunday: Mary Brown’s Mother’s Day Brunch: In Torrington, Brinx served a special “light brunch” complete with mimosas.

  • John Brown or BUST!

    April 27, 2026
    7:00 - 8:30 PM eastern
    Via Zoom

    The John Brown: America250 roundtable series continues with an in-depth exploration of the intersection of 19th-century portraiture and modern archival preservation.

    This third installment focuses on two busts of Old Brown:

    One, by Edmonia Lewis, and another by a former teacher, Edward Augustus Brackett. Brackett’s bust was carved from life drawings made within Brown's Charleston jail cell as he awaited execution. It fell into disrepair in a basement of Tufts University until it was rediscovered and restored.

    Host and biographer Louis A. DeCaro Jr., Ph.D., will be joined by art historian Eleanor Heartney—a great-great-granddaughter of Brackett, Tufts University Registrar and Collections Manager Laura McDonald, and Lisa Merrill, Ph. D., Professor of Performance Studies, Rhetoric and Public Advocacy, Hofstra University.

    Together, the panel will discuss the artistic motivations of the era, the genealogical connection to the work, and the meticulous technical process required to repair the sculpture’s damage.

    The roundtable will examine how artists like Brackett and Lewis helped to shape John Brown’s image and how artists like them helped shape public perceptions about abolition during the Civil War era. 

  • John Brown and Abolitionist Women

    March 16, 2026
    via Zoom

    The roundtable will be hosted by John Brown biographer Louis A. DeCaro Jr., Ph.D. and will feature historian Margaret Washington, Ph.D., and environmental psychologist Shawndel Fraser, M.A.

    The event is free, open to the public, and donations are accepted. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

    The discussion will extend beyond the bond between Brown and Harriet Tubman to such abolitionists as:

    Elizabeth A. Gloucester

    Jane Harper

    Mary Ann Shadd Cary

    Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

    Edmonia Lewis

    Mary Ellen Pleasant

    Videos in the Provisional Dispatch

  • Film screening: “His Truth is Marching On”

    February 26, 2026
    New Milford Public Library
    New Milford, CT

    In person and online availability.

    His Truth Is Marching On is a short documentary that traces the history of American music from 1619 to hip-hop through the Civil War song “John Brown’s Body,” written about a kid from Connecticut who changed the world. Featuring more than 50 musicians from NWCT, it’s been screened at Black History Film Festivals in DC and Atlanta, and earned national and state history awards.

    The producer will introduce the project, answer questions, and unveil what's next.

  • John Brown and Social Justice

    February 16, 2026
    via Zoom

    In this inaugural John Brown America250 roundtable discussion, Dr. Louis A. DeCaro Jr. hosts two distinguished scholars on the topic of social justice activism as it relates to John Brown’s life and legacy.

    Gloria J. Browne-Marshall is an EMMY Award-winning writer, a professor of constitutional law at John Jay College, playwright, social justice attorney, and the author of eight books. Her most recent book is titled “A Protest History of the United States” which includes John Brown. Prof. Browne-Marshall was a John Brown Fellow, in 2023, and a speaker at the John Brown Lives! Long Table, in 2024. 

    Bill Ayers is Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago (retired), and his most recent book is When Freedom is the Question Abolition is the Answer.

  • Art: Americans Who Tell the Truth

    Date: March 5, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

    Franklin Library System at the Saranac Lake Free Library to launch our Americans Who Tell The Truth poster show. Posters from Rob Shetterly’s prolific and moving portraits series will be on display at the library and available to loan for libraries in the region.

    The artist will join us for a presentation and Q&A beginning at 6:15pm. There will be light refreshments and time to peruse the exhibit.