Lecture: "The World of Elizabeth Jennings"

"The World of Elizabeth Jennings"

Wednesday, February 23, 2022 | 7:00 PM

Virtual Via Zoom

$7/person | HRMM Members FREE

For many, the civil rights movement began with Rosa Parks’ brave stand against segregation in 1954. However, few people realize that the right for African Americans to even ride in streetcars was earned a hundred years before that in a landmark civil rights case here in New York State.

In 1854, traveling was full of danger. Omnibus accidents were commonplace. Pedestrians were regularly attacked by the Five Points’ gangs. Rival police forces watched and argued over who should help. None of this was on Elizabeth Jennings’ mind as she climbed the platform onto the Chatham Street horsecar.

But her destination and that of the country took a sudden turn when the conductor told her to wait for the next car because it had “her people” in it. When she refused to leave the bus, she was assaulted by the conductor aided by a NYC policeman. Elizabeth Jennings fought for the right to ride New York City horse trolleys, with future president Chester A. Arthur as her defense lawyer.

Historian Jerry Mikorenda breathes life into this little-known struggle with “The World of Elizabeth Jennings,” based on his book, America’s First Freedom Rider: Elizabeth Jennings, Chester A. Arthur, and the Early Fight for Civil Rights (Rowman & Littlefield). Using rare period photos and lithographs, the author recreates Jennings’ world by exploring the sights and people of old New York as the momentous battle with the Third Avenue Railroad unfolded. The freedoms Elizabeth Jennings fought for – and won – are the underpinning of the civil and gender rights movements that are still a battlefront today. There are rare moments when we can look in the mirror of history and see our own time. America’s First Freedom Rider shows those times are not unlike our own.

Speaker Bio:

Jerry Mikorenda’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Herald, The Gotham Center History Blog, and the 2010 Encyclopedia of New York City. His biography America's First Freedom Rider: Elizabeth Jennings, Chester A. Arthur, and the Early Fight for Civil Rights was published in 2020. His historical novel, The Whaler’s Daughter was published by Regal House in July 2021.

Program information:

This program is being presented  virtually via Zoom. You will receive the link to the Zoom meeting in your registration confirmation email. Please save that email to access the virtual lecture. 

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