A Legacy of Bravery in the Finger Lakes

Noah Howard

The rolling hills and serene lakes of upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region hold stories as powerful as the landscape is peaceful. For generations, this area has been a crucible of change, where visionary women not only imagined a more just world but fought relentlessly to build it. The Finger Lakes wasn’t just a backdrop to history — it was a catalyst, a community that nurtured courage and ignited movements that would reshape the nation.

Within this fertile ground of ideas and action, a constellation of extraordinary women emerged. Harriet Tubman, the fearless conductor of the Underground Railroad, called Auburn her home. Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell shattered barriers as the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. Frances Seward, Matilda Joslyn Gage and Martha Coffin Wright opened their homes and their hearts to the causes of abolition and women’s rights. Amelia Jenks Bloomer revolutionized both fashion and feminism, while Emily Howland worked tirelessly to ensure education for all.

What united these women was more than proximity — it was a shared belief in the transformative power of justice and equality. Their legacies echo through the region’s history, reminding us that the Finger Lakes wasn’t just a home to these trailblazers; it was a vital part of their story, and by extension, our nation’s story.

The impact of their work reverberated far beyond Auburn, but the seeds of their shared legacy remain deeply embedded in the region. Their courage set a precedent for the generations of women who followed, building a foundation of equality and activism that others, like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, would expand upon in the fight for suffrage and broader civil rights.

The abolitionist fervor that united Harriet Tubman and Frances Seward was part of a larger wave of reform sweeping through the Finger Lakes region in the mid-19th century. This spirit of progress laid the groundwork for one of the most pivotal events in American history: the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, this gathering marked the first formal call for women’s suffrage and broader equality.

Matilda Joslyn Gage and Amelia Jenks Bloomer, though not directly involved in the convention, represent the cultural and intellectual forces that surrounded and sustained it. Gage, known for her fierce intellect and uncompromising advocacy, would later emerge as one of the most radical voices in the suffrage movement, challenging the intertwined oppressions of patriarchy and religious orthodoxy. Bloomer, meanwhile, contributed to the fight for women’s rights in her own groundbreaking way. As the publisher of The Lily, the first newspaper dedicated to women’s issues, she championed suffrage, temperance and a new vision of women’s autonomy — including, famously, the adoption of practical and forward-thinking “bloomer” attire that defied the restrictive fashion of the time.

The Seneca Falls Convention was both a culmination of these reformist energies and a launching point for further action. With its Declaration of Sentiments — a revolutionary document demanding equal rights for women — the convention sparked a movement that would grow and evolve in the hands of figures like Gage and Bloomer. Together, they carried the torch of justice into new arenas, building on the abolitionist ethos that had shaped the region and transforming it into a call for gender equality that resonated across the nation.

Brave Women Week

The legacy of the Finger Lakes’ brave women lives on through the annual Brave Women Week, held this year from March 3 to March 10. The week-long celebration honors the region’s trailblazing female pioneers while spotlighting the modern women who carry their spirit forward. A collaboration between tourism offices across Cayuga, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Chemung and Cortland counties, Brave Women Week offers a dynamic lineup of events, programs and specials at women-owned businesses, culminating on International Women’s Day, March 8. From art exhibits and community classes to museum tours and theatrical performances, the week is an engaging tribute to the women who have shaped the Finger Lakes, past and present.

This event highlights not only the historical contributions of figures like Harriet Tubman, Amelia Jenks Bloomer and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but also the contemporary women breaking barriers and building communities. Whether through exploring exhibits that delve into the region’s suffragist history or supporting the creativity and entrepreneurship of today’s women business owners, Brave Women Week invites residents and visitors alike to immerse themselves in a legacy of bravery that continues to inspire.

To learn more about Brave Women Week events and the Brave Brews Festival celebrating women in the craft beverage industry (No. 5 in a USA Today’s reader poll of the best beer festivals in the country), please visit rrmbaojie.com/home/brave-women-flx.

While many of the brave women celebrated during Brave Women Week, such as Amelia Jenks Bloomer and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, championed the temperance movement, we suspect they might raise an eyebrow (and perhaps even a glass!) at the Brave Brews Festival. After all, if there’s one thing they taught us, it’s how to gather together and make some noise for a cause. In this case, the celebration honors the creativity and entrepreneurship of women in the craft beverage industry — proving that progress, much like a good brew, comes in many flavors.