The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence is closed on Veterans' Day
2025-11-11 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Please note that The Myers Residence will be closed on Monday,November 11 for Veterans’ Day. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, November 12. Thank you for your understanding.

Championing Albany's Potential Open House
2025-11-12 16:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Hilton Albany, 40 Lodge Street, Albany, NY, 12207
Downtown Albany Strategy Open House
You are invited to the Downtown Albany Strategy Open House, part of Governor Hochul’s Championing Albany’s Potential (CAP) Initiative. At this interactive event you will join the project team for a guided walk-through of exhibits showcasing the current ideas for the Downtown Albany Strategy.
Stop by anytime during the event — plan to spend about 45 minutes to an hour exploring, providing real-time feedback, and helping guide the strategies and programs that will make the biggest difference in Downtown.

Learn more and RSVP: https://downtownalbanystrategy.com/engagement

Collections Committee - Join in
2025-11-13 18:00 - 19:30 UTC | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Do you like researching? Recordkeeping? Cataloguing? Planning programs, exhibits, displays? This very active committee needs more volunteers to carry out its important work for UREC and for the community. Be part of the Collections Team! Meetings are held every other month at The Myers Residence on the second Thursday from 6pm-7:30pm.

Questions? Contact Paul Stewart at 518-621-7793.

CNYS Black Expo
2025-11-15 11:00 - 16:00 UTC | Empire State Plaza Convention Center, 279 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY, 12242
Join Underground Railroad Education Center at the CNYS Black Expo to be held at the Empire Sate Plaza Convention Center on Saturday, November 15 from 11am-4pm at Empire Staste Plaza. Support UREC and other local Black businesses. Remember that the holidays are coming.
The mission of the Capital of New York State Black Expo is to promote economic growth and business opportunities across New York State.
The CNYS Black Expo will provide attendees with health awareness information to support healthy living, along with providing small businesses with an opportunity to access a broad range of potential customers as well as the local community. Many local small businesses and community-based nonprofits lack opportunities to network effectively with similar entities within New York State .
UREC is excited to participate in a forum to build relationships and exchange information to support small businesses and nonprofits and encourage health services collaborations.
The CNYS Black Expo inspires cultural and local pride via exhibits, workshops, presentations, and performances by youth, changemakers, and positive figures from the Capital District and beyond.

NY Civil Liberties Union Capital Region Awards Ceremony
2025-11-20 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | NY
You are invited to the NYCLU ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
Thursday, November 20 from 6 to 8 pm
Duo at the Dunes
(formerly the Italian American Community Center)
257 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany
The Alice Paden Green Award will go to The Underground Railroad Education Center
Paul and Mary Liz Stewart
The Ned Pattison Award will go to U-CAN
John Caher & Brad DiPietro
The Peter Henner Award will go to Rensselaer Environmental Coalition
Robert Welton
Music Provided By
Doug Marcus
Catering by 2Shea
RSVP: https://action.aclu.org/event/albany-annual-awards-ceremony
This is the Capital Region’s only annual fund-raiser. We hope you’ll join us. Tickets are $50 per person.

Lifting Every Voice:"I'd love to learn more about your perspective." -- Democratic Engagement Dialogue
2025-12-04 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
Excelsior’s Center for Social Justice, the Civic Engagement Rope Team, the Underground Railroad Education Center, and the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region are thrilled to invite you to participate in our 2025 democratic engagement dialogue sessions.
How do we lift every voice? Let’s explore together the meaning of democracy and ways to engage with others when we all have different ways of thinking. Join us for a series of conversations hosted by Excelsior’s Center for Social Justice and the Civic Engagement Rope Team.
During each session, the conversation will focus on:

Our collective exploration of the meaning and power of democracy as a choice, way of thinking, and a lifestyle.
Strategies to create and engage in dialogue that transcends disagreement, promotes inclusion, leverages our diversity, and strengthens democracy.
Concrete actions we could pursue to participate and promote democracy in our daily environments.

We are looking forward to having you with us!
More information and registration is available by by clicking HERE

HEAR ME OUT - Teen Playlist Competition
2025-12-05 - 2025-12-15 | NY
The Underground Railroad Education Center (UREC) is hosting Voice and Votes, a Smithsonian Traveling exhibit on display at The New York State Museum from November 28-January 9, 2026.
SHARE. SHARE. SHARE.

Share this contest with friends, family, neighbors, and more

There is an opportunity for ALL to participate! See contest guidelines below

APPLICANTS MUST

Live within the Albany Capital Region and be 13-19 years old

Create & Submit a 2-4 song YouTube playlist link

Submit a 100-150 word explanation about why you chose the songs, and the playlist connection to Democracy themes (ex. Community, Justice, National Identity, Protest, Citizenship, etc…)

Submitting? – use this link – https://forms.gle/jc7pogdBQxikncqd6

DON’T WAIT – ENTER NOW!

The first 50 applicants will have their playlists and paragraphs judged by our 3 judges
(judging based on: originality, creativity, connection to democracy themes – as seen in the Voices and Votes exhibit – examples listed above)

Contestants can enter starting December 2 – ending December 15

Judging will begin to select the top 5 playlists – which will be announced December 22

Check UREC website, Facebook, and Instagram for the link to the top 5 playlists

Get your friends and family and more to vote for the top 3 People’s Choice favorites using the online ballot form

WINNERS & PRIZES

Winners will be announced with prizes at 3pm January 2, 2026 at “Game On!” – the teen game event at the NYS Museum (222 Madison Ave – 4th fl, Albany NY)

JUDGES

David Gordon Jr. – multi-instrumentalist and Producer and Boys and Girls Club Lyrism 101

D. Colin – Poet, Visual Artist, actor, curator, coach and educator

Shantale Dixon – Former Underground Railroad Education Center YALI Participant

For more information contact Contact Lacey at LaceyW.urec@gmail.com– or – Amelia at AmeliaP.urec@gmail.com

Voices and Votes: Democracy in America
2025-12-05 - 2026-01-09 | New York Sate Museum, 222 Madison Avenue, Albany, New York, 12230
Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, a traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibit about our democracy.
Engage with the story of Our Democracy through engaging storytelling, multimedia displays and oral interviews from local Albany residents.
This traveling Smithsonian Exhibit is on loan to Underground Railroad Education Center through January 9, 2026. Because the Interpretive Center is not available, the New York State Museum has very kindly offered space for the exhibit to be set up on the 4th floor Terrace Level of the Museum. An incredibly rich and thought provoking interactive display of voting rights in America, past to present.
More information from the Smithsonian is available by clicking here – https://museumonmainstreet.org/VoicesVotes
New York State Museum hours – Tuesday through Sunday 9:30am-5pm
And remember to view the other fantastic exhibits on display at the New York State Museum. Museum staff work diligently to create engaging exhibits about New York State yesterday and today, reminding us of what came before us, where we are today, and where we might go in the future.

December Dash 2025 - is for YOU!
2025-12-09 - 2025-12-31 | NY
December Dash, UREC’s annual appeal, is a lighthearted opportunity to donate to UREC before we reach the end of December 2025.
So join us in our DASH to the end of December. Our financial goal is $30,000. We’re trying to beat last year’s total.
Can we do it? Yes, we can, with you in the running!
Click HERE to donate now, at whatever level you can! Big, small and in-between, together we do this!

Drawn to Art – for Seniors
2025-12-12 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Seniors in the Albany, NY Capital Region – you are invited to begin your creative journey at the Historic Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence with award-winning illustrators, Shirley Clark and Marcus Kwame.
Enjoy a FREE 10-week relaxing outdoor art experience — Fridays October 10 – December 12, 2025 — 2pm-3:30pm (No class on Friday, November 28)
CALL (518) 621-7793 to sign up — space is limited
*NO previous skill needed
*ALL supplies provided

Drawn to Art of Underground Railroad Education Center is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Where:
The Historic Myers Residence
Underground Railroad Education Center
194 Livingston Avenue, Albany NY

Arias in the Afternoon: Lifting Every Voice
2025-12-14 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | New York State Museum, 222 Madison Avenue, Albany, New York, 12230
Arias in the Afternoon brings community members together with Handel’s Messiah and the Smithsonian’s Voices and Votes:Democracy in America exhibit for a powerful experience combining music, history, and inspiration. Handel’s Messiah has enraptured audiences for centuries and its beauty still captivates us today—but Handel’s worldly success was entangled with the slave trade. As an investor in the Royal African Company, he profited from the trafficking and suffering of enslaved Africans.
This afternoon of music and history invites us to be moved by beauty, but also to face the truth behind it.
Show your support for UREC and join us on the 4th floor of the New York State Musuem on Sunday, December 14 from 1pm-3pm for an unforgettable experience.

Be a Sponsor – click HERE for details
Purchase tickets – click HERE for details
Why We Exist
Underground Railroad Education Center exists to tell the whole story — celebrating courage, exposing injustice, and passing forward the legacy of resistance. We believe history must be seen, heard, and felt to fully inform an intentional future committed to justice. Located at the Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence in Albany, UREC preserves history in an award-winning space — but the demand for programs, exhibits, and community gatherings has outpaced our walls, making the Interpretive Center the next step.

A Living Legacy
Imagine walking into a space where the walls honor the voices of freedom fighters, where young people stand tall as they discover the courage of those who came before them, and where our community can gather to celebrate progress and plan for a more equitable tomorrow. That is the promise of the Interpretive Center.
More than just a building — the Interpretive Center will be a living legacy, designed for sustainability and innovation, with geothermal energy, solar panels, and responsibly-sourced timber. These features reflect our commitment to good stewardship of the environment, uniting the past with the present, and passing the torch from one generation to the next.

Help us build the Interpretive Center!

The Myers Residence and Christmas
2025-12-24 - 2025-12-26 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence will be closed from Wednesday, December 24 through Friday, December 26 so that our hardworking staff can enjoy some family time. Hope your holidays are pleasant!
From all of us at UREC to you and your family – happy holidays!

The Myers Residence is Closed
2025-12-31 - 2026-01-03 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence will be closed from Wednesday, December 31, 2025 through Saturday, January 3, 2026 so that our hardworking staff can enjoy some family time. Hope your holidays are pleasant!
From all of us at UREC to you and your family – happy holidays!

Game On at the New York State Museum!
2026-01-02 14:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | New York Sate Museum, 222 Madison Avenue, Albany, New York, 12230
Grab your friends and meet us on January 2nd between 2–5 PM for Gametime on the 4th floor (at the NY State Museum)!
Spend the afternoon hanging out, playing interactive games like Head to Head, Ideals and Images, My Fellow Citizens, and Where Do You Stand? — all inspired by the Smithsonian Voices and Votes exhibit before it closes on January 9.
Come play, explore, and see what your voice can do!

"The Spirit of Philadelphia: A Call to Recover the Founding Principles” - a conversation with Chris Gibson
2026-01-04 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | New York Sate Museum, 222 Madison Avenue, Albany, New York, 12230
Author Chris Gibson, whose resume includes US Army officer, former U.S. Representative, and retired Siena College President will be speaking about key concepts from his book The Spirit of Philadelphia – A Call to Recover the Founding Principles.
This includes: Has the United States strayed from the founding principles? Is voting still important?
Erica Smitka, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of New York State will interview him and moderate questions from the audience.
The event is hosted by the Leagues of Women Voters of Rensselaer County and Albany County.
Please register at https://tinyurl.com/4fxw2cbv to ensure sufficient seating.
Contact Joan Rogers or MaryKate Owens, lwvac@lwvalbany.org, 518-545-4860 with questions.
Also plan to tour the interactive Smithsonian exhibit Voices and Votes before or after the program. It highlights the history of participatory democracy.

Voices and Votes: Democracy in America is a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit hosted by Underground Railroad Education Center in collaboration with the New York State Musuem. The exhibit is located on the 4th floor terrace level of the New York State Museum.

Teen Museum Studies Program - looking for participants
2026-01-07 16:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Proactively responding to Shirley Chisholm’s comment that, “If they don’t welcome you to the table, bring a folding chair,” UREC has designed an out-of-school teen program intending to prepare teens to democratize and diversify the museum field.
All High School Juniors and Seniors are invited to take a deep dive into the world of museums, analyzing the purposes of museums, their relationships with communities, the myriad job positions available at museums, researching and curating exhibits ,and more. If you know a teen interested in participating in this enriching, life-changing program, please have them contact Lacey Wilson, Project Manager, at Laceyw.urec@gmail.com.
The program will run through the 2025-2026 school year, with a summer immersion experience, and continue through the 2026-2027 school year.
Teens meet every Wednesday from 4-7pm and on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10am-1pm at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence located at 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany.
The QR code above will provide access to a google form providing teens the opportunity to indicate their interest in the Teen Museum Studies Program.

Collections committee - working meeting
2026-01-08 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Join with interested community volunteers to help preserve UREC collections. No experience necessary. Instructions provided as needed. This working meeting will be held in person at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence. See you there!

Tour Experiences at The Myers Residence
2026-01-10 12:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Call ahead to schedule your tour at The Myers Residence.
Saturday tours are hosted at 12:30pm and 2:00pm.
Admission payments can be made online at https://undergroundrailroadhistory.org/tours/ or at The Myers Residence via cash, check, and credit card.
Don’t forget to check out Myers Mercantile while at The Residence where you will find great books, puzzles, magnets, jewlery, and more.
Tour experiences can be scheduled on weekday evenings for individuals and family groups, as well as during the daytime for groups of 10 or more. Calling ahead to discuss scheduling is essential in order to avoid scheduling conflicts. The Myers Residence is the current base of operations for UREC, which means The Residence provides space for our experiences, workshops, progams, events, meetings, and work space for staff.

Voices and Votes: Democracy in America - dismantling volunteers needed
2026-01-12 10:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | NY
The exhibit, Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, must come down on Monday, January 12. Join us for an hour or more to help dismantle and repack all the pieces of this incredible exhibit so it can be shipped on to its next ‘port of call’.
Dismantling will begin at 10am on the 4th floor of the New York State Musuem. Join us for an hour or more. Lunch will be provided. Call 518-621-7793 to let us know you will be joining in the fun.
See you there!

Over the Edge – UREC’s urban rappelling event – join in the planning!
2026-01-12 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Hybrid – 194 Livingston Avenue and via Zoom
Join in the planning and implementation of this fun and unique event! Over the Edge urban rappelling event (https://overtheedgeglobal.com/) is holding its full committee planning sessions on Monday, Janaury 12 at 5pm with our partner the YWCA of Troy.
We need folks who are interested in working on marketing of this event, recruiting rappelers, recruiting sponsors, and planning the on-the-ground activities on the day of the event.
Interested? Call Mary Liz Stewart at 518-621-7793 or use the Contact Us page on the UREC website.
This is a hyrbid meeting.

The Myers Residence is closed on MLK Day
2026-01-19 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Please join with others in your local community to honor Dr. King and to commit to continuing the work for justice to which he dedicated his life.

National Day of Racial Healing
2026-01-20 | NY
Today is the 10th annual National Day of Racial Healing that is sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Click HERE to access more information on the Kellog website. Many events are being held around the country. Perhaps you would like to collaborate with UREC in 2027 to host an event?

The Myers Residence is closed for Presidents' Day
2026-01-24 | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence will be closed on Presidents’ Day. We wish you a pleasant Presidents’ Day and look forward to seeing you soon!

In Defiance: 20 Abolitionists You Were Never Taught in School
2026-01-27 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Virtual
Tom Weiner and Dr. Amilcar Shabazz begin their presentation with an explanation of the title, the motivation for writing the book, and our partnership’s origins. The talk focuses on several abolitionists – white and Black, male and female – who epitomize the spirit of DEFIANCE.
Throughout, we seek to make connections to the current repression and the need for on-going defiance to withstand the onslaught to our rights being abridged and denied. For example, there are forty-four states with legislation – either pending or passed – to prevent “divisiveness”, stifle speech and whitewash history. Our Abolitionists sought to do the very opposite. We emphasize the need to honor and celebrate their accomplishments as well as the courage and determination their efforts required. Our goal is to inform and to inspire.
Tom Weiner is a Northampton-based writer, educator, and anti-racism activist who taught for 40 years at Smith College Campus School and co-facilitated workshops on
developing healthy boys. He also initiated efforts for a Reparations Commission in
Northampton, MA.
Dr. Amilcar Shabazz is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and
former president of the National Council for Black Studies. A renowned scholar and
commentator, he has worked internationally and guided Amherst’s African Heritage Reparations Assembly in establishing one of the U.S.’s first funded reparative justice processes.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Registration for ZOOM meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/eZUtaZBLQdinoQvuFZ51Fw#/registration

UREC tabling at Southgate Elementary Multicultural Festival
2026-01-30 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Southgate Elementary School, 30 southgate Road, Latham, NY, 12110
Pay a visit to UREC’s table at Southgate Elementary School’s Multicultural Festival. Enjoy the festivities. See you there!

Albany County Legislative Black Caucus Black History Museum
2026-02-06 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Harold L. Joyce Albany County Office Building, 112 State Street, Albany, NY, 12207
Join the Albany County Legislative Black Caucus and Community members to celebrate Black History month on Friday, February 6 from 11am-1pm in the Cahill Room at 112 State Street, Albany, NY.

UREC will have on display its exhibit titled Working the Waters: Black Mariners on the Hudson River 1800s.

Tour Experiences at The Myers Residence - a new interpretation of an old story
2026-02-07 12:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Call ahead to schedule your tour at The Myers Residence.
Saturday tours are hosted at 12:30pm and 2:00pm.
Admission payments can be made online at https://undergroundrailroadhistory.org/tours/ or at The Myers Residence via cash, check, and credit card.
Don’t forget to check out Myers Mercantile while at The Residence where you will find great books, puzzles, jewlery, and more.
Tour experiences can be scheduled on weekday evenings for individuals and family groups, as well as during the daytime for groups of 10 or more. Calling ahead to discuss scheduling is essential in order to avoid scheduling conflicts. The Myers Residence is the current base of operations for UREC, which means The Residence provides space for tour experiences, workshops, programs, events, meetings, and work space for staff.

The UGRR: a New Interpretation of an Old Story (Virtual)
2026-02-10 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
The Underground Railroad, often remembered as being characterized by tunnels, dark of night escapes, coded language and hidey-holes, was far more extensive and complex than these ideas have led us to believe. In the midst of significant pro-slavery sentiment, New York State was home to many abolitionists working to abolish the institution of slavery in our state and nation and it was visited by many who had escaped enslavement and sought a life of freedom. Join with the Paul and Mary Liz Stewart as they share a new interpretation of a very old story.
Zoom link for this virtual presentation:
Time: Feb 10, 2026 06:45 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82987520402?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 829 8752 0402
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Teen Museum Studies Program - join in
2026-02-11 16:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence, 194 Livingston Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210, United States
Sign up to be part of this unique out-of-school program for high school juniors and seniors. Be an agent of change! Prepare yourself to democratize and diversify the museum field!
Meet with other teens at The Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence every Wednesday from 4pm-7pm and on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10am-1pm. Light refreshments will be provided.
Interested? Contact Lacey Wilson, Project Manager, at Laceyw.urec@gmail.com.

The Underground Railroad: There's More to the Story
2026-02-11 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual via Zoom
As the first civil rights movement in the country, the Underground Railroad is so much more than we have been led to believe. Join with Paul and Mary Liz Stewart to take a deeper dive into this transformative period in American history that is related with us today, and learn about the efforts to expand their work.
Visit https://schenectadyhistorical.org/event/stewart/ for more information. This is a virtual event.
