TLF Partners Featured in the Times Union: Albany’s Connection to 51 Steps to Freedom

ALBANY, NY | The Towne Law Firm, P.C. is proud to share that two of our partners, James T. Towne, Jr., Esq. and Shalini Natesan, Esq., were recently featured in the Times Union in a column by Paul Grondahl, Director of the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany.

The article highlights Jim and Shali’s board service with 51 Steps to Freedom, a national not-for-profit organization creating an interactive, augmented reality walking trail through Washington, D.C. Touted as the world’s largest outdoor museum, the trail brings to life powerful and often overlooked stories of courage, resilience, and resourcefulness from people of color and other historically marginalized communities – all through a location-based app on your smartphone.

With America’s 250th birthday arriving this July 4th, the timing could not be more meaningful. 51 Steps to Freedom is actively inviting citizens across the country to virtually sign the Declaration of Independence as a symbolic recommitment to the founding ideals that unite us as a nation. You can sign at www.51stepstofreedom.org/promise.

Shali, who visited the trail over Juneteenth weekend with her two teenagers, described the experience as unlike anything she had seen before. Using the app, her son was able to hold up his phone in front of Frederick Douglass’ home and watch Douglass appear and speak. Her daughter had a similar moment at the Lincoln Memorial, where Abraham Lincoln came to life and began to speak directly to her. As Shalini put it, the seamless blend of technology and history made it something her kids genuinely connected with — no eye-rolling required.

Jim, who visited the trail last November with his wife Sue and stayed at the historic Mansion on O Street near DuPont Circle, described a particularly powerful moment at the cemetery for enslaved people, where the trail revealed a cultural tradition of burial with the body’s feet facing east toward Africa. “We tore them away from their homeland and enslaved them, but their loved ones wanted to make sure they could walk home in the afterlife,” he said. “That’s a powerful message.”

For Jim, the mission of 51 Steps to Freedom is deeply personal and deeply bipartisan. “We are trying to create a sense of unity around our democracy and to move away from the political divisiveness,” he said in the article. “This is not a Republican versus Democrat perspective. It is about coming together as citizens around the shared document of the Declaration of Independence.”

Beyond their board service, TLF’s connection to 51 Steps to Freedom reflects the firm’s broader commitment to the not-for-profit community. Shalini has completed legal compliance and trademark work for the organization on a pro bono basis, including work on trademarking the phrase “World’s Largest Outdoor Museum.” At The Towne Law Firm, supporting not-for-profit organizations is not just a practice area – it is part of who we are. Our attorneys are proud to serve on the boards of local, regional, and international not-for-profit organizations, and our team brings deep experience helping nonprofits navigate IRS 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) requirements, governance, compliance, fundraising regulations, and more.

You can read the full Times Union article by Paul Grondahl, here.

The Towne Law Firm, P.C. has the experienced team you need to help resolve your not-for-profit law concerns and assist you in maintaining your charitable designation with the IRS and the NYS Charities Bureau. Whether you are an educational, religious, or charitable organization, or a qualified business league, our attorneys are experienced in creating and managing not-for-profit organizations – and are proud to serve as board members for various local, regional, and international not-for-profit organizations ourselves.