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Folk duo, noted jazz critic among presenters at annual event May 7

The introduction of a new award to honor the legacy of famed abolitionist John Brown, award-winning folk duo Magpie and nationally recognized jazz critic Reuben Jackson will headline John Brown Day 2016.

The annual event, organized by Westport-based human rights project John Brown Lives!, will be held Saturday, May 7, at 1 p.m. at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid. It is free and open to the public.

“Every year, John Brown Day recognizes the ongoing struggle for justice, and freedom, all around us,” said Martha Swan, executive director of John Brown Lives!, which sponsors the event in partnership with the farm. “We’re excited to inaugurate the Spirit of John Brown Freedom Award to honor men and women whose work reflects the ideals that John Brown dedicated his life to: Courage, creativity and commitment to the cause of liberation. All of us have much work to do – but I’m thrilled that this award gives us a way to recognize individuals who are making a difference, every day.”

The first recipients of the Spirit of John Brown Freedom Award will be announced in the coming weeks.

Magpie, a duo comprised of Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner, have been performing together for 42 years. They have collaborated with John Brown Lives! on the Harriet Was Here project, in which they work with elementary students in Maryland, New York State and Ontario, Canada, to write songs about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Their work covers a range of styles, including blues, swing and folk classics; they are based in Schoharie County, N.Y., west of Albany.

Jackson, who has hosted “Friday Night Jazz” on VPR since 2012, was curator of the Duke Ellington Collection at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., for more than 20 years. His music reviews have been widely published, appearing in outlets including The Washington Post, Jazz Times, Jazziz, and on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

“The John Brown Farm State Historic Site plays an instrumental role in educating visitors not just about John Brown, but New York’s long role in promoting civil rights for all,” said Alane Chinian, regional director with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. “We’re excited not only to help John Brown Lives! launch the new Freedom Award, but also to host this event on I Love My Park Day – a wonderful opportunity to share this important historic resource with even more visitors.”

John Brown Day is held annually to mark the birthday of Brown, who was born May 9, 1800. He moved his family to North Elba in 1849, though he moved to Kansas in 1855 to support his sons’ efforts to keep that state free of slavery. The rest of his family remained in the Adirondacks. Brown is best known for the raid he led on the U.S. Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Va., in which he and his followers tried to confiscate weapons from the armory and use them in an effort to liberate slaves from the South. Ultimately, the uprising was put down, resulting in the deaths of 10 supporters. While Brown was executed for treason, historians consider the raid a precursor to the Civil War. He is buried at the farm alongside several followers who also fought in the raid. 

About John Brown Lives!

JOHN BROWN LIVES! (JBL!) is a freedom education and human rights project that uses the lens, legacies and lessons of the past to inform and inspire civic involvement to address some of the most pressing concerns of our time, from mass incarceration and human trafficking to voting rights and climate justice. Since 1999, JBL! has sponsored surprising collaborations, groundbreaking research, community dialogue, and cultural initiatives that upend conventional narratives, provide portals for oft-avoided conversations, and facilitate examination of our history for its useful legacies in the present.

About the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 63 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call (518) 474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.

CONTACT:      Martha Swan, Executive Director, John Brown Lives!

                        (518) 744-7112; info@johnbrownlives.org

                        Ken Aaron, Great Range Communications

                        (518) 859-0045; ken@greatrangecomm.com