Here's just a small sampling of the projects we've initiated in 2019/2020.

Connecting Bridges is a long-term programmatic initiative lead by the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice & Peace, Inc. in collaboration and partnership with City, County and community agencies.

Purpose: To enhance the relationship the community has with local law enforcement [Auburn Police Department and County Sheriff’s Office] Auburn Fire Department, and Civil Service Commission. This initiative also intends to increase applicants, especially people of color, women, and other folks who are under-represented in departmental ranks for possible employment within law enforcement and the Fire department. More importantly, “Connecting Bridges” is grounded on the concept of getting to know each other; articulate and share experiences as a community member, and as a uniformed member serving the public good; develop trust; instill effective communication between people and departments and learn about services that local agencies provide as community actions.

Three community forums were held in November and December 2019 in Auburn, NY.

HTCJP and its partners look forward to continuing dialogues via “Connecting Bridges” forums in 2020/2021.  While HTCJP hoped to initiate “Bridges” starting in April 2020, the unexpected COVID-19 and its devastating impact on American society has pushed back the forums until late fall 2020/early 2021.  Specific dates to be announced!

The Auburn Enlarged City School District [AECSD] and the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace (HTCJP) are beginning a long-term working partnership aimed at integrating discussions of human dignity and childhood into efforts to address the challenges of diversity issues of all types throughout the school system. This initiative is led by HTCJP Board members, Dr. Lucien Lombardo and Gilda Brower.

Brother sun Sister Moon, James Twyman EvenT held on February 9, 2020

Co-sponsored by HTCJP, Inc., and Sheila Applegate, the one-man off-Broadway play was performed at the Cayuga Museum’s Carriage House Theater in Auburn, NY. HTCJP’s proceeds from the event have been earmarked solely to support Auburn/Cayuga County homeless, and local food pantries. See event photos and read more details on our News Blog:

FRAGILE WHITE GUY PERFORMANCE

*** UPDATE ~ The performance, “Fragile White Guy” and the book club reading of “White Fragility” have been postponed due to COVID-19***

The HTCJP in conjunction with the Cayuga Museum’s Carriage House Theater hopes to present the Building Company Theater’s production of Fragile White Guy in November 2020.  

Fragile White Guy is an hour long play that follows the journey of Flick Richardson – a modern everyman, Rust Belt white guy – who gets “awakened” to his racist behavior and the realities of what it means to be white. Inspired by the teachings of James Baldwin and by the work and scholarship of Dr. Robin DiAngelo in her book White Fragility – Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, the play is a rich mixture of physical theater, visual imagery and Flick’s heartfelt narrative.

In October 2020, bill berry, jr., HTCJP Chair (and writer, retired higher
education administrator, ongoing management consultant on student  issues in higher education, and publisher of aaduna, an online literary and visual arts journal since 2011) will lead a discussion on Di Angelo's book, White Fragility in October at Auburn's Equal Rights Heritage Center, as well as conduct a planned "book club" reading and discussion of the book with members of Westminster Presbyterian Church in September - November 2020. 

Auburn-Based urban farming initiative

Led by bill berry, jr., and Vijay Mital, founding Board member, the urban farming concept seeks to develop a sustainable demonstration project where the Center can begin to work collaboratively with Auburn community leaders and neighborhood residents to grow nutritious food and identify pathways to commercialize those efforts in order to address, and eradicate a portion of residents who are chronically unemployed or under-employed, as well as teach farming participates how to be successful agriculturally-based entrepreneurs.