DEI means recognizing the intrinsic humanity in everyone.

Our Newsletter brings you updates of efforts to support

diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our town.



Vol. 2 No. 4 March 13, 2025

All members of Philipstown DEI and EDI and racial and social Justice committees are invited to join us on Wednesday, March 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the Desmond-Fish Public Library for food, drink, and conversation. We will hear updates on the current interpretations of DEI and the impact of current Federal practices on schools. Please RSVP using this link.

This year, Women's History Month celebrations are bittersweet. On March 7, The New York Times published the following article: These Words Are Disappearing in the New Trump Administration. NYT reporters compiled a list of hundreds of words that are being removed from government websites and documents - including school curricula - across all Federal agencies. The list contains such threatened victims as "DEI" and "climate crisis" and "diverse" and "transgender" and "immigrants" and "race." But more chillingly, it forbids the use of "women." And "females." As if women do not hold up half the sky.

One hundred and five years ago, in 1920, the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave American women the national right to vote after decades of struggle. That right has not yet been taken away. Nor has our Constitutional right to freedom of speech.

Celebrate Women’s History Month tonight with a deep dive into Hudson River School artist Susie Barstow!

A prolific artist, Susie M. Barstow (1836–1923) captured on canvas and paper the beauty and awe she experienced in the American landscape from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century. However, Barstow and many of her female colleagues, painting in the style of the Hudson River School, were omitted from the art historical canon, until now. Professor Nancy Siegel will give a virtual lecture on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m.

Register at putnamhistorymuseum.org

News from the Haldane School Foundation

The Haldane School Foundation is presenting a unique fundraiser on April 6, 2025 from 12 to 2 p.m. This is Drag Bingo, featuring Angel Elektra and Shay O'Pines and bingo like you have never played it before. Angel and Shay will add a heightened level of amusement and comedy for everyone to enjoy. Food and drink and PRIZES will also be featured.

The event will take place at Move Cold Spring, 37 Chestnut Street. Proceeds from the event will help support enrichment programs at Haldane.

Purchase tickets here.

Celebrate Women’s History Month at the Library with a biopic of the diva, the legend, the icon: Whitney Houston.

In the film, small-town girl Whitney Houston discovers her remarkable penchant for powerful vocals that soon catapult her to the forefront of pop music in the early 1980s. She earned the title of one of the greatest female vocalists in history. Showing is Friday, March 28 at 2 p.m. Register here.

News from the Butterfield Library

The book club choice for March is Women Talking by Miriam Towes. A band of isolated women contemplate their future in this powerful novel inspired by actual events. In an isolated religious community, women must choose how to respond to tyranny. The women think through their life-changing decision, critically discussing their roles in society, their love for their families and religion, and their hopes and desires for the future. The discussion takes place at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 31.

Butterfield Library continues to celebrate diverse voices in art through Empowering Narratives.

Cuban-American artist Lydia Rubio will be at the Library on Saturday, March 15 from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. for the opening of her exhibit. Don’t miss the chance to chat with the her and celebrate the opening day exhibition of her work with us. The exhibit will be on display until April 15.

Register here.

News from Supplies for Creative Living

An art workshop for people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color is now happening on the last Monday of every month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The next workshop is Monday, March 31. Workshop leader Dr. Yasmine Arais counsels: "Take a creative pause in your week and tend to your own creative process. IPOC Open Studio is not facilitated in the traditional sense – no directives or instructions are given. Instead, we'll come into the space, set an intention, create together, and then witness what we have made." 

Art-making materials will be provided, and attendees are welcome to bring personal art supplies. No prior art experience is necessary.

BIPOC Open Studio is for adults (18+) who identify as BIPOC. This offering is sliding-scale (no one will be refused for inability to pay), but pre-registration is required. The suggested fee for BIPOC Open Studio is $15.

Dr. Yasmine Awais is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist and credentialed art therapist who has been practicing for 25 years.

Please register here.

News from the Philipstown Depot Theater

Be sure to take in the new Depot play, House of Lattisville, in which a female street kid breaks into the elegant Harlem brownstone of an elderly woman. Neither can imagine what will happen by morning’s light.

The play is written by Nan Nelson-Ewing and directed by Shona Tucker, chair of the Drama Department at Vassar College. This mesmerizing play is in its final weekend and tickets can be purchased now.

About the Philipstown DEI Committee

Our informal group was formed in response to a racist incident at a library event in 2021. Members representing the Garrison Union Free School District, the Haldane PTA EDI Committee, Butterfield Library, and the Desmond-Fish Public Library developed a community-wide survey, the results of which can be read here. The two school districts and the two public libraries have also been joined by the Manitou School, the COld Spring Chamber of Commerce, and many other community organizations. All are welcome to be part of the effort. Please contact philipstowndei@gmail.com

Our Mission Statement

The mission of the Philipstown DEI Committee is to raise awareness

and foster learning and sharing opportunities that promote

community-wide engagement.  By working together across institutions, we strive to ensure that all Philipstown community members are represented, acknowledged, and valued.

Future Plans

We invite you to join our Zoom meetings that are held the last Tuesday of each month at 4:30 p.m. There will mbe no Zoom meeting in March, however; we will gather in person on Wednesday, March 26, at 5:30 p.m. at the Desmond-Fish Public Library. Please RSVP using this link.

To sign up for the Newsletter mailing list,

please visit our Website

Our goal is to share future newsletters in Spanish also; thank you for your patience.

Compartiremos futuros boletines en español; gracias por su paciencia.

La diversidad, la equidad y la inclusión son objetivos muy importantes.