February’s FOCUS forum honors Black History Month by featuring the personal and historic accounts of Harriet Tubman’s life as a famed abolitionist and political activist with two of ‘Aunt Harriet’s’ relatives, great-great-great grandniece Michele Jones Galvin and great-great-great grandnephew Marc Jones.
Jones Galvin and Jones will speak to Tubman’s historical contributions beyond the Underground Railroad, from supporting John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry and being a Union soldier, scout and nurse in the Civil War to founding the first African American nursing home in Central New York, the John Brown Home for the Aged and Indigent Colored People.
They will also discuss how Tubman’s life, challenges and accomplishments impact their personal and professional lives as descendants. They will convey lessons learned focusing on family, fortitude and service to others while navigating diversity, equity, and inclusion barriers of the present.
Jones Galvin is on the board of directors of FOCUS Greater Syracuse and is co-author with her mother, Joyce Jones, of Beyond the Underground: Aunt Harriet Moses of Her People. Jones Galvin was born in Brooklyn and Jones was born in Syracuse. Both were raised and have continued to work, live and raise families in the Greater Syracuse area.
Jones is the visionary and principal behind the multi-award winning company Dreissig Apparel Inc. and Fan Hands LLC. The forum moderator, Evelyn Ingram, is from Long Island, New York and has made Syracuse her home for many years. Ingram is the director of community relations for the Central New York region of Wegmans Food Markets, overseeing activities in the community investment and media relations arenas and serving as the company’s regional spokesperson.
The forum, hosted by FOCUS, takes place Friday, Feb. 17 at 12:05 p.m. It is free to join and will be held virtually. Participants can register here.
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