Still We Stand:
Beyond the Peekskill Riots

An award-winning creator and writer, Shana L. Redmond is the author of Anthem: Social Movements and the Sound of Solidarity in the African Diaspora (2014) and, Everything Man: The Form and Function of Paul Robeson (2020), which received numerous awards, including an American Book Award. Her writing has appeared in popular and scholarly venues such as Mother Jones, Boston Review, NPR, Brick: An International Journal, and Race & Class as well as liner notes for Nina Simone: You've Got to Learn (Verve) and Paul Robeson--Voice of Freedom (Sony). She is currently writing a book about Black life before police violence. A Grammy nominee and Guggenheim fellow, she teaches in New York City.

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.

The Resistance Revival Chorus (RRC) is a social justice focused collective of more than 70 women and non-binary singers who join together to breathe joy and song into the resistance, to uplift and center the voices of women and non-binary people through music, and to address how historically marginalized those voices have been in the music industry. Chorus members are artists and activists based in New York City and represent a multitude of identities, professions, creative backgrounds, and causes. Founded in 2017, the RRC released its debut album "This Joy" on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records label in 2020. They perform original and traditional protest music on the streets at marches and rallies, and on major stages and festivals including at the Grammys, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo, Newport Folk Festival, and Outside Lands. Their live shows have been called “a powerful experience” by WXPN and “a full complement of sorrow, joy, defiance and hope,” by Magnet Magazine. The great artist and activist Harry Belafonte once said, “When the movement is strong, the music is strong” and the RRC attempts to live up to that maxim. They call for justice and equity for all people across racial, ethnic, economic, sexual identity and religious lines, aim to be intersectional in their feminism, believe that art has the power to change hearts and minds, and embrace poet Toi Dericotte’s idea that “Joy is an act of resistance.”

And all the ways to find us: www.resistancerevivalchorus.com

Instagram: @resistancerevivalchorus

Twitter: @resistancerev

Facebook: Facebook.com/resistancerevivalchorus

Rooted in tradition yet driven by a restless New York energy, Cole Quest and The City Pickers carry American folk music forward with wit, warmth, and originality. Led by dobro player, songwriter, and vocalist Cole Quest — grandson of folk icon Woody Guthrie — the band has carved out a singular place in today’s roots music landscape, blending the storytelling spirit of folk with the drive and precision of bluegrass.

Their latest album, Homegrown (Jalopy Records, 2025), produced by Grammy Award–winning engineer Steve Rosenthal, brings the band’s journey into full focus. The record weaves four new originals with reimagined takes on songs by John Hartford, Peter Rowan, and Woody Guthrie himself, linking Cole’s own creative voice with his grandfather’s enduring legacy. No Depression hailed it as “an album that deftly moves the legacy of Woody Guthrie along in all the right ways.” Critics like Songlines (UK), Glide Magazine, and the Berkshire Eagle have noted how the band honors its lineage while forging its own path. Their broad recognition includes a Bluegrass Standard cover (August 2025) and a feature in Bluegrass Unlimited.

Formed by friends with a shared love of bluegrass and traditional American music, Quest first pulled the Pickers together in 2017 to record their debut self-titled project at the legendary Magic Shop studio. They went on to release their acclaimed EP Self [En]Titled on Omnivore Records in 2021. Over the years, they’ve won the Podunk Bluegrass Festival band competition, toured Germany multiple times, and shared stages with artists like Billy Strings, Sierra Hull, and Tony Trischka.

But beyond accolades, what defines Cole Quest and The City Pickers is community. Their music bridges the intimacy of a Guthrie family sing-along with the rhythmic pulse of bluegrass, creating a sound that feels both timeless and immediate. Whether on record or on stage, they deliver an energizing, joyful performance that creates spaces where tradition meets innovation, laughter meets resilience, and every listener feels at home.

Bria The Artist is a singer, songwriter, producer, and multidisciplinary creative whose work blends soulful vocals, vivid storytelling, and genre-bending production. Through music, visual art, poetry, and the Bri-Dimensional Universe, she creates immersive experiences that invite audiences into spaces of imagination, reflection, and possibility. Her music has garnered over 1 million streams across digital streaming platforms and earned recognition from Grammy Award-winning artist Ne-Yo. In 2025, Bria was recognized as a 914INC. Wunderkind, honoring some of the region’s most talented and innovative young professionals. Whether through song, paint, poetry, or design, her mission remains the same: to inspire others to embrace their full creative potential and build bridges between the many dimensions of who they are.

Amauta, meaning "teacher" or "wise elder" in Kichwa, the Indigenous language of Ecuador, was founded in the early 1990s by brothers Cesar and Ivan Vele in Gullanzhapa, Tarqui, Ecuador.

Since its founding, AMAUTA has shared the traditional music and rhythms of Ecuador and the Andes throughout the tri-state area and beyond.

For more than 25 years, AMAUTA has been dedicated to preserving and celebrating Indigenous history, music, and culture. Through performances and education, the group continues to pass these traditions on to new generations while strengthening cultural connections within the Ecuadorian diaspora.