Redefining the Family - Banners

Redefining the family: Drawn from research completed by Livingston descendant and Pennsylvania State Representative Christopher Rabb, this exhibition explores the life of Rabb’s great-great-great-grandmother, Christiana Taylor Livingston Williams Freeman (1812–1909). She was born to a Black enslaved mother and her enslaver at Livingston Manor (now Clermont State Historic Site). The exhibition also follows Rabb’s journey to validate his family’s oral history about his lineage.

Enslavement to Freedom is a multi-year commemoration highlighting New York’s unique history with slavery. In 2027, New York will recognize two significant Black history anniversaries: the 200th anniversary of the end of legal slavery on July 4/5, and the 400th anniversary of the arrival and enslavement of the first twenty-two African men and women in New York on August 29.

As stewards of fifteen historic sites with known connections to slavery, and park lands that were once spaces of enslavement, the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation honors these anniversaries by sharing this vital part of the state’s story in multiple ways. These banners are part of a larger series of exhibits, programs, and events commemorating the contributions of enslaved Africans and their descendants, as well as the various ways wealth was gained by those who supported the transatlantic slave trade.

This commemoration is part of the Our Whole History initiative, a framework that seeks to expand the history we share to better reflect the rich multicultural world of New York’s past and present.