PANEL DISCUSSION
The Peekskill Riots
Then & Now
Thursday, September 4, 2025
7:00 to 8:30
(doors open at 6:30)
Plumbers & Steamfitters
Local Union 21
1024 McKinley Street Peekskill, NY
Admission is FREE
Please RSVP by September 2
On September 4th, the 76th anniversary of the Peekskill Riots, we gathered at Local Union 21 Headquarters to reflect on Paul Robeson’s legacy, the courage of those who stood with him, and the lessons this history still holds for us today.
Panelists Shana L. Redmond, Kendall Hall, and Michael Meeropol, guided by moderator John Nichols, explored Robeson’s life, his silencing, and his enduring resonance in movements for justice, art, and solidarity. Their stories remind us why Peekskill’s history matters now more than ever.
“Who has the courage and integrity to slow their body in the face of terror in order to become music?” - Shana L. Redmond
From personal memories passed down in silence, to grassroots efforts preserving Robeson’s legacy, to the recognition that even today many young people do not know his story, the panel makes clear why we must keep telling it.
We invite you to watch, share, and reflect:
Watch the full panel on YouTube
Meet Our Distinguished Panelists
John Nichols
(Moderator) Executive Editor of The Nation and previous correspondent on national affairs and Washington. Nichols has written, cowritten, or edited over a dozen books on topics ranging from histories of American socialism and the Democratic Party to analyses of US and global media systems.
Kendall Hall
Founder of Ubuntu Cultural Pavilion, preserving Black and African American history in Somerville, NJ, including Paul Robeson’s local legacy. A leader in community engagement and archival preservation, she also co-founded the Rutgers African American Alumni Alliance.
Shana L. Redmond, PhD.
Grammy nominated writer and creator. Author of Anthem: Social Movements and the Sound of Solidarity in the African Diaspora and Everything Man: The Form and Function of Paul Robeson, which won numerous awards including an American Book Award. She teaches in New York City.
Michael Meeropol
Economist, educator, and son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Author of Surrender, How the Clinton Administration Completed the Reagan Revolution and co-author of Principles of Macroeconomics, Activist vs. Austerity Policies. He edited The Rosenberg Letters, A Complete Prison Correspondence of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
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