Programs

Join the New York State Museum for a special opening celebration of Fashion and Faith: Hats of the Great Migration, an exhibition honoring the Black women whose faith, resilience, and leadership helped shape Albany’s communities. Between 1910 and 1970, more than seven million African Americans left the South in search of opportunity, bringing with them enduring traditions of family, spirituality, and self-expression. Many made new homes in New York State—and in Albany’s South End, Arbor Hill, and Rapp Road neighborhoods—where they built vibrant communities while navigating the challenges of northern city life.

Featuring remarkable hats worn by women who settled in Albany, the exhibition explores how church “crowns” became powerful symbols of dignity, creativity, and self-definition. Far more than Sunday fashion, these hats carried memories of the South, hopes for the future, and the spiritual grounding that sustained generations. Through these personal stories, visitors will encounter the lived experiences of community builders whose leadership anchored and uplifted Black life in the Capital Region.

The evening will include a 7 p.m. screening of WMHT’s original documentary film North to New York: The Great Migration in NY’s Capital Region, offering deeper insight into the journeys of those who traveled north and the legacies they established. Celebrate the women who moved forward in faith—and whose stories continue to shape New York today.