Celebrating National Harriet Tubman Day in her Chosen Hometown
Auburn NY, Harriet Tubman’s chosen hometown, will celebrate National Harriet Tubman Day on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, join us for a full day of free public programming at the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, and a free evening program at the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center.
National Harriet Tubman Day is observed annually on March 10, the date of Tubman’s passing in Auburn in 1913. This day offers opportunities for residents and visitors to engage with Tubman’s enduring legacy through talks, exhibits, hands on activities, and community storytelling. Step into the historical spaces and Auburn community in which Harriet Tubman lived and worshiped and is remembered today, as one of America’s greatest champions of freedom and equality.
The theme for Harriet Tubman Day 2026 is “Towards a More Perfect Union,” as a connection to the Semiquincentennial of independence and Freedom 250. Drawn directly from the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, the phrase speaks to the nation’s strength as not in perfection from the beginning, but in the courage of those, like Harriet Tubman, who demanded that America’s promises be expanded to all. Tubman’s life and legacy stand as a testament that a “more perfect union” is not achieved by words alone, but through the ongoing fight for freedom, rights, and human dignity.
Join in the Celebration…
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park: Walk in Her Footsteps
47 Parker Street, Auburn NY
The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park preserves and interprets the 54 years of Harriet Tubman’s self-emancipated life in freedom, her community in Auburn, New York, and the life and legacy that she built for herself, her family, and others, as a champion for human rights. Learn more at: www.nps.gov/hart
Activities at the AME Zion Church ( the church Harriet Tubman attended and where her funeral was held).
Timed Activities
• 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Harriet Tubman Day Proclamation Ceremony (⭐️ASL)
• 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Ranger Talk: “Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church: The Story of Community and Faith” (⭐️ASL)
• 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Ranger Talk:
“The Deliverer: Excerpts from Night Flyer” (⭐️ASL)
All Day Activities
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Memorial tables honoring Karen Hill and Pauline Copes Johnson
• Special exhibit: “Reflections on a ‘Useful and Heroic Life'”
• Community “Wish Wall” for the 250th
• Make-and-take Inspiration Bracelets
• Harriet Tubman Day buttons and coloring sheets
At the Parsonage ( right next door)
• Special exhibit: “Community Case: Celebrating Harriet Tubman”
• Earn your Junior Ranger badge by completing the Harriet Tubman Junior Ranger activity book!
• NPS passport cancellation station (park visitation passport stamps)
Equal Rights Heritage Center (⭐️ASL)
25 South Street, Auburn NY
Join this special evening community program from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Rev. Paul G. Carter of the Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. will provide opening remarks; followed by keynote speaker: Dr. Tanisha M. Jackson, African American Studies Professor at Syracuse University and Executive Director of the Community Folk Art Center.
“Freedom Is a Practice: Harriet Tubman, Black Women’s Cultural Work, and the Making of a More Perfect Union”.
Harriet Tubman’s life reminds us that freedom is not a static ideal—it is an ongoing practice. In this lecture, Dr. Tanisha Jackson places Tubman’s legacy in conversation with contemporary Black women artists who build creative spaces rooted in wellness, mutual care, and social transformation. Through historical reflection and contemporary case studies, this talk explores how Black women’s cultural work functions as a form of civic leadership and grassroots democracy. By examining art-making as liberation work, we consider how communities continue Tubman’s charge to demand justice and expand the meaning of citizenship.
There will also be activity tables staffed by Harriet Tubman NHP rangers with make-and-take Harriet Tubman Day buttons; and the Harriet Tubman Boosters community group with a fun photo station.
Visit these sites to learn more about Harriet Tubman and start planning your visit today!
➡️For more information on Harriet Tubman’s Life and Legacy
https://www.tourcayuga.com/harriet-tubman/life-and-legacy/
➡️For more information on places to visit and to Walk in Harriet Tubman’s Footsteps
https://www.tourcayuga.com/harriet-tubman/places-to-visit/
➡️To listen to our podcast Walk in Her Footsteps: Harriet Tubman’s Life in Auburn, NY
https://www.tourcayuga.com/harriet-tubman/podcast-series/
⭐️American Sign Language interpretation is made possible through a National Park Foundation grant and Interpretek.