Tag Archives: Hudson Valley

Lunchtime Discussion – Reimagining Public Safety

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The Anti-Racism, Equity and Justice (AREJ) Organizing Team invites you to our next Lunchtime Discussion on Wednesday, May 5 at noon.

This will be the first of a two part discussion on “Reimagining Public Safety”.

In this first session we will engage with what policing and public safety looks like now, in our community and for us personally, and how that informs, influences, and sometimes interferes in the discussion of “reforming”, “abolishing” or “defunding” our existing policing paradigm.

Our second session will deconstruct the origin and evolution of policing followed by a discussion about how public safety could be reimagined from the ground up, absent present-day paradigms and institutions.

We welcome you at either one or both!

Some readings of interest on this topic locally (written by Tiana Headley, Vassar ’22):
How the Poughkeepsie Police Union Tried to Defeat Reform
Uneven Police Reform Compliance Frustrates Mid-Hudson Communities

Winter/Spring 2021 Lunchtime Discussion Series – February 22nd Meet-Up

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On behalf of the Anti-Racism, Equity and Justice (AREJ) steering committee you are invited to the first of our scheduled series of lunchtime discussions for 2021, which will be held on Monday, February 22nd from Noon to 1pm via zoom.

The topic for this discussion will be “The Impact of White Supremacy on our Local Education Systems and Families”, focusing on the K-12 education system.

To inform our discussion we are providing two resources that explore the topic from different viewpoints. A podcast where you will hear the stories and work of two Black women fighting against racism in the Arlington Central School District:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12XBH97muzIObc94Hbdgow8bdYqU7yHpD/view?usp=sharing

(Interview #1 begins at 00:24, Interview #2 begins at 27:38)

And, the story of how a group of Poughkeepsie parents repeatedly and successfully sued New York State to split off from the Poughkeepsie City School District and form their own, separate district – Spackenkill Union Free School District.

“The Politics of School Districting: A case study in Upstate New York by Sue Books, Educational Foundations, v20 n3-4 p15-33 Sum-Fall 2006″

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ794730.pdf

Even if you don’t have time to fully ingest these resources prior to our meeting we still welcome everyone to be part of the discussion.

Read, Listen, and Watch – January 2021

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“With Zero Representation, You can See the Racism” 

Racism within the Arlington School District has come into light throughout the past few years. Firstly, the Center for Strategic Solutions at NYU Metro Center was hired by Arlington for the past several years to facilitate their District-wide equity initiative. After discovering Arlington’s racist tendencies and resistance to equity, NYU withdrew from the relationship. Arlington’s Board of Education shut down communication and transparency, while teachers and staff have been retaliated against for speaking out against racism. The black deputy superintendent was scapegoated, silenced, and terminated. Natalie states that she and her colleagues cannot be complicit in the maintenance of racism against the children and community members of Arlington. Remaining silent means being complicit with white supremacy, which is thriving in Arlington’s administration.

The Arlington School District has been neglecting the calls for drastic changes within their institution to combat the blatant racism that has been plaguing the district for years. With a refusal to acknowledge the issues and take accountability for what is occurring within the walls of their schools, many parents, teachers, and other individuals of color are coming together to uplift their voices and be heard. Throughout this podcast, you will hear the stories and work of two Black women fighting against racism in the district. The first is a mother of three children who all attend school in Arlington. She is currently working on memorializing the stories of parents who have been harmed by racism, ensuring that they are heard and forcing Arlington to listen. The second woman is a former teacher from a school within the district. She offers a unique perspective, sharing her experiences with racism at the administrative level, during daily life at the school, and with the overall neglect from the school district. Emma Klein, Vassar College.

Interviews and editing done by VC student in CLCS 121. Transcript by Curtis Dozier.

Interview #1 begins at 00:24.
Interview #2 begins at 27:38.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12XBH97muzIObc94Hbdgow8bdYqU7yHpD/view?usp=sharing

Read, Listen, and Watch – January 2021

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The Politics of School Districting: A case study in Upstate New York
by Sue Books, Educational Foundations, v20 n3-4 p15-33 Sum-Fall 2006

To the now-expansive literature on the causes and consequences of segregation in schooling and of inequality in educational opportunity in the United States, the author would like to add a call for more attention to the politics of school districting–that is, to how and why districts are created, in the service of whose interests, and with what consequences for students. Towards that end, this article reconstructs the solidification of a school district in upstate New York, the Spackenkill Union Free Schools, a six-mile-wide district in the town of Poughkeepsie. In a battle with the New York State Education Department in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Spackenkill schools succeeded in avoiding consolidation with their poorer, larger, and far more diverse neighboring district, the Poughkeepsie City Schools. (The town of Poughkeepsie includes both the city of Poughkeepsie and the community known as Spackenkill.) In this article, she recounts the story of Spackenkill’s pursuit of “independence,” as reconstructed from newspaper articles written at the time, school board minutes, and personal conversations with the president of the Spackenkill Board of Education and a Poughkeepsie resident who lived through the struggle. She then offers an analysis of the ideals and interests that shaped the district’s conflict with the State Education Department. Finally, she comments on the significance of this small chapter of social history for reformers still working towards desegregation and more equal educational opportunity.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ794730.pdf

Council of Elders: A Virtual Roundtable

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Council of Elders: A virtual roundtable by Hold The Line Hudson Valley is a roundtable discussion with movement elders from the Hudson Valley on activism, solidarity and the political divide on Saturday, January 30, 2021 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Register for free on eventbrite.

Join movement elders from the Hudson Valley for a conversation about the present moment, and stories and wisdom from the past. How do we ground ourselves in the new year? How do we build coalitions in solidarity with others across political divides while staying accountable to ourselves and all people most directly impacted by systemic oppression?

The council includes leaders from local African Roots Libraries, ENJAN, and the NAACP, Restorative Justice practitioners and long-time activists and organizers in Labor, Environmental Justice, LGBTQIA Rights, Antiracism and Civil Rights movements.

Moderated by Tracy Givens-Hunter, the elders include: Maude Bruce, Paul Bermanzohn, Sally Bermanzohn, Otia Lee, Denise Oliver-Velez, Sandra Oxford, Rob Pinto, Loriman Rhodell, Cheryl Schneider, and Odell Winfield.

Opportunities for Action – July 2020

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RIGHT TO KNOW ACT

ENJAN (End the New Jim Crow Action Network!) has been working with NYCLU to support the passage of the Right to Know Act (RTKA) in the City of Poughkeepsie. This law, which can be adopted by local and municipal governments, would require police officers stopping citizens to identify themselves and explain the reason for the stop. The idea behind the RTKA is that it would promote a conversation between civilians and law enforcement. Requiring officers to identify themselves and explain their actions promotes a more consistent, respectful, and community-minded approach to enforcement activities while also potentially reducing the likelihood that a routine police stop will turn violent.

The City of Poughkeepsie Common Council held a special legislative session on June 29th to advance business and dialogue toward policing reform and racial justice and a Hearing to receive public comment on July 6th.

All recordings of Poughkeepsie City Council, Committee and Special meetings can be found here: https://totalwebcasting.com/view/?id=cop

Background:

https://www.courtwatchdutchess.org/blog/2020/6/16/policing-in-america-making-police-more-transparent-and-accountable

To voice your opinion:

https://cityofpoughkeepsie.com/common-council/members

July Celebrations – Good things happening in our community!

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POUGHKEEPSIE COMMUNITY WIFI PROJECT (PKCW) 

Nubian Directions II Inc., a long standing local not-for-profit with a history of working with low-income, under-served, academically under-prepared, multi-cultural populations in the City of Poughkeepsie, continues to move forward to provide free Wi-Fi access to “unconnected” City of Poughkeepsie residents.

It is the objective goal to create a local WiFi project that is “community owned-supported”. The WiFi mesh network will aid in closing the socio-economic digital divide while building a technology inclusive community. As NDI “builds-out” and expands the PKCW WiFi mesh network in the City of Poughkeepsie, we are very mindful that we need to prepare quickly in case there is a second round of COVID-19 in the upcoming fall/winter months. NDI will continue to work with our local colleges, school district, City/County officials, CBOs/non-profits, homeowners, faith-based and civic organizations, businesses, in order to expedite the site locations and WiFi equipment installations. 

Free WiFi is available at the following locations; Winnikee Avenue, Mansion St. Square Park, Malcolm X, and Pershing Avenue Park. Local city residents and Poughkeepsie City School District students can now  enjoy free WiFi/internet access.

Interested parties are welcome to join us and email us for more information about serving on a volunteer WiFi committee.  Contact Nubian Directions (845) 452- 8574 or email rwright@nubiandirections.org.