Wendy Talio grew up on Long Island amid the cultural shifts of the 1960s -from Robert Moses’ reshaping of New York to classmates’ struggles with racial inequity. She earned music degrees from Manhattan School of Music and Rice University before pivoting into data science. Wendy retired early to return to the arts and civic engagement. Learning of the history of the Peekskill Riots and Robeson’s legacy, she founded the Living Artist Society and the Robeson in Peekskill Project, using the arts to advance truth, empathy, and community.

Julie Ruben is a lifelong activist, the child and grandchild of anti-racist and social justice organizers. She has been a publicist for independent and international films and film festivals, and authors. Julie was the Executive Director of a non-profit that organized international conferences. A passionate environmentalist, she serves on several environmental commissions and boards. The long and deep relationship Julie’s family had with Paul Robeson makes this current project a true labor of love.

Sarah Underhill fell in love with the Hudson Valley working aboard the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater in the 1980s. A singer and song collector, she blends music with community building. Sarah serves on several regional environmental and food justice boards, works as a hospice RN, and brings her Quaker heritage of justice and mercy to all she does

Abbe Marcus has built her career on connecting communities through history,justice, and experiential learning. She co-founded J-Teen Leadership and heldleadership roles at The Workers Circle, 92nd Street Y, the Jewish EducationProject, and WJCS. Since founding JTC, she has designed civil rights andservice-learning journeys across the U.S. and Cuba, inspiring change throughstory and experience.

Raised in New York City during the Civil Rights era, Lawrence’s experiences with racism and activism—marching for civil rights and protesting the Vietnam War—shaped his lifelong commitment to justice. After moving to Cortlandt Manor, he was deeply moved by the history of the 1949 Peekskill Riots and Paul Robeson’s legacy, inspiring his involvement as a committee member of the Robeson in Peekskill Project.

An artist-activist, Lawrence uses his voice to amplify truth, harmony, and justice on and off the stage

Michael Koncewicz is the Associate Director at the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. Koncewicz is a political historian who previously worked at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, contributing to the museum’s nonpartisan Watergate exhibit. More recently, at NYU’s Tamiment Library, he curated the archive’s Cold War collections. Koncewicz’s scholarship focuses on the culture and politics of the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. His first book, They Said ‘No’ to Nixon: Republicans Who Stood Up to the President’s Abuses of Power, was published by the University of California Press. He is currently working on an authorized biography of longtime progressive activist Tom Hayden. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Jacobin, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, and The Washington Post. As an educator, Michael believes that through public history projects like this one can contribute to a healthier democracy.

After immigrating to the US from South Korea at age seven, Annie grew up in communities where she was often one of the few people who looked like her, yet still found acceptance and belonging, an experience that shaped her understanding that diversity extends beyond race to differences in perspective, culture, and lived experience. Annie was drawn to RiP’s mission because it reflects her belief that strong communities are built by acknowledging the past and healing through the shared language of art, a philosophy that informs her creative work at Sweetstory Media.

Jon Scott Bennett is a documentary filmmaker and historian who has gained national recognition for his coverage of the Peekskill riots of 1949 and Paul Robeson. Bennett bridges the gap between in-person and online audiences to share the important stories hidden in our backyard, blending education and entertainment to allow information that may otherwise fall flat or not be discussed in the classroom to resonate with audiences and provide a fresh and balanced perspective on history and our everyday life.