As part of our commitment to celebrating our region, this monthly series aims to amplify the stories of communities of color and historically marginalized communities in the Hudson Highlands region.
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Recognizing and Honoring the Original Stewards of the Land
Last month, our nation observed Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day to appreciate and honor the diversity, history and culture of Indigenous communities. And this month we celebrate Native American Heritage Month. We thought this would be an opportune time to call attention to Indigenous land acknowledgements, or statements that recognize […]
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Reflections and Accountability
Looking Back at Our Statement on Racial Inequity and the First Year of Relearning Highlands History One year ago this month, we launched the Relearning Highlands History series to deliver on a promise we made in our June 5, 2020 statement on racial inequity. Among other diversity and equity initiatives, we made a […]
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Tree Inequity in the Hudson Highlands
All across the country, tree cover tends to be sparser in low-income neighborhoods compared to wealthier (and often whiter) neighborhoods. Living near trees provides countless public health, economic and environmental benefits—and people without adequate access to trees often suffer. According to The New York Times, “Healthy trees trap air pollutants, which […]
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Revisiting the End of Slavery in New York for Juneteenth
This month (June 2021), President Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday. Celebrated on June 19th, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday originates in Galveston, Texas, where enslaved people were finally declared free on June 19, 1865, nearly three years after President Lincoln signed the […]
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Creating a Black and Native American Heritage Trail in the Hudson Highlands
HHLT launched the Relearning Highlands History series last fall as part of our commitment to share and amplify stories of and from People of Color who have shaped the landscape and history of the Hudson Highlands. We now want to take the series one step further and bring these important stories “to […]
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Land Ownership and Social Justice: How our Cities and Towns Became Segregated
This may take you by surprise: “We’ve left untouched the biggest segregation of all, that overwhelms everything else, and hangs over our entire society, and that is that every metropolitan area in this country is residentially segregated. And all of us accept this as part of the natural environment.” (Richard Rothstein […]