Congratulations to Governor Kathy Hochul!
Today, on the eve of Women's Equality Day we celebrate not only women's suffrage, but another milestone. At noon on Tuesday Kathy Hochul was sworn in as governor of New York, the first woman to hold that position. In October 2016, then Lt. Governor Hochul visited the 1816 Meetinghouse in October 2016 as part of our bicentennial celebration, where she accepted our "Carry on the Vision Award," also awarded at the same time to Mary Anne Krupsak the first woman to hold the office of Lt. Gov. of New York. The award to Kathy Hochul was presented: “In gratitude for your service as a role model for New York State women in politics and Chair, New York State Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission.” Congratulations and carry on the vision.
The legacy of the community of Quakers who founded 1816 Meetinghouse has been one of carrying the vision for women's equality, and all people, since its early days. As is well documented, the 1848 Convention for Women's Rights at Seneca Falls, where the struggle for women's suffrage was launched, was actively supported by people with deep connections to the Farmington Meetinghouse.
Statement on Recent Mass Killings
Our hearts are breaking, once more, as we join our fellow citizens in mourning the loss of so many people as a result of continual gun violence attacks across the country. We are horrified.
We understand that we are all connected. No one is the other. Violence against one—whether based on race, gender, sexual orientation, class, religion, culture, and differently abled—harms us all. How can we help create a world of safety and respect for all living beings?
We have no instant answers. But as an organization and as individuals, we pledge to:
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educate ourselves and each other about the systemic racism—against Asians as well as against others of color—systemic sexism, and all biases that prevent respecting ourselves and each other in this world.
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learn how better to use our personal words and actions to contribute to respect for all living beings.
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learn how to intervene when we see someone being harassed.
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make alliances with other individuals or organizations who work for justice and kindness in this world.
We invite you to join us.
For guidelines about how safely to help others who are being harassed, see American Friends Service Committee, “How to Intervene If Someone Is Being Harassed”: the https://www.afsc.org/bystanderintervention
Please visit our "Living History" page to read our posts of February and March about historic Black activists and women’s rights activists with ties to the Meetinghouse, initiatives taken in the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes Areas to end slavery and help enslaved people escape to freedom and to help women secure equal rights with men including suffrage.
Black Lives Matter
We reaffirm our support of the Black Lives Matter movement and our commitment to the ongoing struggle for equal rights for all, a commitment that is at the heart of our mission.
We agree with other member organizations in the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience that silence in the face of injustice is unacceptable. As we continue to mourn the death of George Floyd, we join our voices with all others who are calling for peace, justice and equality for all. We look forward to the day when all lives matter in America, and that day will come only when Black Lives Matter. Our mission at The 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse Museum derives from the 19th century members of the Meetinghouse. A small Quaker community in rural New York witnessed, and often led, reform movements that changed democracy in America—especially for Native Americans, African Americans and women. We keep their legacy alive as we promote the same values and goals today; their legacy is our inspiration and provides our direction.
As the African American civil rights leader and Quaker Bayard Rustin once said: “When an individual is protesting society’s refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him.”