Retracing Harriet Tubman’s Steps: A Legacy of Freedom, Resilience, and Revolutionary Love

Underground Railroad Legacy Tour

by Stefani L. Zinerman
Member of the New York State Assembly, District 56,
Brooklyn’s Bedford Stuyvesant | Crown Heights

From March 8–11, it was my honor to lead the Inaugural Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Legacy Tour, a journey that brought elders, educators, youth, and community leaders together to follow in the footsteps of Harriet Tubman and the freedom seekers who fled enslavement through New York State and into Canada.

We began in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, gathered in the early morning light, and traveled to the African Burial Ground National Monument in lower Manhattan for a libation and ancestral tribute. From there, we journeyed through Nyack, Haverstraw, Peekskill, and Albany.

The next day, we moved on to Auburn, Rochester, and Buffalo. On Day 3, we crossed into St. Catharines, Ontario, where Harriet Tubman led many to their final sanctuary—freedom.
This was more than a tour—it was a pilgrimage, a mobile classroom, and a sacred call to action.

Our Purpose was rooted in three vital goals:
To honor Harriet Tubman’s legacy as one of the most fearless and effective freedom fighters in American history. Her life’s work continues to guide us in today’s liberation movements.
To establish a cohesive heritage tourism experience known as the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Corridor in New York State.

This proposed Scenic Byway will connect key historical sites from New York City to Niagara Falls, preserving the legacy of Black resistance for generations to come.

To ignite reflection on how Black communities have always survived and organized through systems of mutual aid—churches, businesses, safe houses, and networks of care. Harriet Tubman was not only courageous; she was a strategist, a spiritual warrior, and a master of relational organizing.

Living History at Every Stop
Each site on our tour was alive with the power of memory and the urgency of our times:
At the Haverstraw African American Memorial Park, we learned how a single brick became the foundation for rediscovering the AME Bethel Church, founded by free Black residents in 1846—Rockland County’s first Black house of worship.

In Peekskill, we visited the homes of abolitionist allies like Henry Ward Beecher, walked through churches that served as safe havens, and reflected on the role of faith in the freedom movement.

At Albany City Hall, hosted by the Underground Railroad Education Center, we explored the lives of Stephen and Harriet Myers, everyday citizens who became extraordinary leaders in the fight for justice.

In Auburn, we prayed in Harriet Tubman’s own church and stood at her gravesite at Fort Hill Cemetery, humbled by the wind that moved through the trees—her spirit reminding us of our purpose.

In Rochester, we walked the streets where Frederick Douglass once organized and in Buffalo, we explored the ever-expanding Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor where the Michigan Street Baptist Church still stands as a pillar of Black resilience.

And in Canada, we reached our final destination: Salem Chapel BME Church, Tubman’s spiritual home and the resting place for so many who found freedom across the border. There, we were reminded that her journey didn’t end at liberation—it continued into building lives, families, and communities.

A Protest, A Lesson, A Promise
Every place we visited holds a piece of a story too often left out of our textbooks. But in this moment—when Black history is being banned, erased, or sanitized—our presence on this tour was an act of protest and preservation. Our commitment to teaching and telling this truth is essential.
We didn’t just study the past. We connected it to the present.

Harriet Tubman’s courage still speaks to us. Her strategy, relational leadership, and fierce commitment to collective care still offer us a blueprint for organizing today. She knew freedom wasn’t a moment—it was a movement. She ensured her people were fed, housed, and sustained. She built systems for survival.

This tour was a step toward rebuilding those systems again.
I am deeply grateful to Sage Hamilton Hazarika and the Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State, our incredible tour guide Saladin Allah, Director of Community Engagement at the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, and to every community partner, site steward, and traveler who joined this journey in fellowship and purpose.

Together, we are working to secure funding and formal Scenic Byway designation for the Harriet Tubman Corridor, so that families across New York—and across the nation—can experience this transformational journey for generations to come.
As we reflect on Harriet’s unwavering vision, may her spirit continue to guide us in our struggle for justice, dignity, and self-determination.
We are the legacy. And now, it’s our turn to lead.

A 2025 Tubman-Woman of Distinction
Virginia “Ginny” Norfleet has been selected by State Senator Bill Weber as 2025’s Woman of Distinction in recognition of her dedication to preserving African American history in Haverstraw and empowering the Rockland community.

Ms. Norfleet is the Founder and Executive Director of the Haverstraw African American Connection (HAAC), a 501(c)(3) organization that educates the public about the deep and rich history of African Americans in Haverstraw.

Since founding HAAC in 2008, she has worked tirelessly to ensure that African American heritage is acknowledged and celebrated in schools, libraries, colleges, and community groups across Rockland County.

Ms. Norfleet’s research has uncovered the roots of Rockland’s pre-Revolutionary African American families, leading to collaboration with institutions such as the Rockland Holocaust Museum and Center for Tolerance and Education, which now hosts an exhibit on American slavery.

With the help of neighbors and volunteers, Ms. Norfleet transformed a drug-ridden area on Clinton Street into the Haverstraw African American Memorial Park, preserving an important landmark of Haverstraw’s history. Her advocacy has earned her well-deserved recognition, including induction into the Rockland County Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2019 and recognition from the Town of Haverstraw during Black History Month in 2021.
Senator Weber will formally honor Ms. Norfleet at a special recognition event in Albany on May 13, 2025.

(To be Continued)