Upstate’s forgotten abolitionists: Former slave Thomas James founded Black churches in Rochester and Syracuse Updated Feb 25, 2021; Posted Feb 25, 2021 Facebook Share Upstate New York was a hotbed in the 19th century for the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad. Names like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Gerrit Smith are familiar. But there were also valiant figures from the region, white and Black, who fought for the end of slavery whose names have faded into history. During this Black History Month, after searching through old newspapers and websites, we take a look back at some of Upstate New York’s forgotten abolitionists.