Black August
This year, we want to highlight advocacy in support of the multidecade movement to free incarcerated Black activist, journalist, and intellectual Mumia Abu-Jamal, and invite you to a screening of Sambizanga (1972) that we are co-hosting with the Highlander Center in Durham, North Carolina.
What to the Slave?
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a keynote address at an Independence Day celebration and asked, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
Descendants Read Frederick Douglass' Speech | NPR
Call the main executive office at (518) 474-8390
At the end of the legislative session, four other bills that ENJAN supports were passed:
- Protect In-Person Visits (S5037/A4603): "Establishes visiting policies for incarcerated people, to provide incarcerated people opportunities for personal contact with relatives, friends, clergy, volunteers and other persons to promote better institutional adjustment and better community adjustment upon release."
- Commissary Mark-up Cap (S1692B/A2592): This bill places a limit (3%) on the amount prisons can markup goods sold in commissaries and canteens. It also requires that pricing of items for sale be published on the web.
- Reentry Health Act (S614B/A269): "Provides for enrollment of eligible incarcerated persons in the medical assistance for needy persons program; provides for enrollment of incarcerated individuals in other medical assistance programs, where eligible."
- Reduce Minimum Sentences (S8944/A10024): This bill is a subset (two provisions) of the Marvin Mayfield Act, which now gives judges more discretion to go below minimum sentences for "certain guilty pleas where the plea is in the interest of justice and which are entered into with both the permission of the court and the consent of the people."
These four bills still require Governor Hochul's signature. She has until the end of the year to sign these bills into law.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
The ENJAN Curators
To contact New York State Governor Kathy Hochul by phone, call the main executive office at (518) 474-8390. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
ENJAN Members
The City of Poughkeepsie will be hosting the 2026 Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 20th in Waryas Park on the Poughkeepsie waterfront.
The event in the park will run from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm right following the Juneteenth parade, which will start lining up at Main Street and Market around noon before marching to the park around 12:30 pm.
During the afternoon, there will be food, entertainment, vendors, and tabling by many local community organizations, including ENJAN. A flyer is attached below. We hope you can join us for this special celebration. Please spread the word. Thank you.
The ENJAN Curators
Freedom Walk 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT PAT LAMANNA, 845-309-3853 or patla42@gmail.com
Between Wednesday, May 26 and Sunday, May 31, there will be a series of events in Poughkeepsie in conjunction with a historic walk. #FreedomWalk2026 is a modern-day retracing of the Underground Railroad to Canada, on the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. The 750-mile pilgrimage, following 19th-century routes to freedom, will commemorate the brave self-liberators, the abolitionists, and their secret networks. More information can be found at https://www.menare.org/freedomwalk2026-about.
The group’s leader is Anthony Michael Cohen, a historian, author, and founder and president of The Menare Foundation, Inc., a national nonprofit organization dedicated to “Preserving the Legacy of the Underground Railroad.” The group arrives in Poughkeepsie on Tuesday, May 25 and will stay at the Oakwood Friends School. The events taking place during the group’s sojourn in Poughkeepsie include:
May 27, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Local Walk #1: The Role of Local Churches in the Anti-Slavery
Movement
Gather at the Family Partnership Center parking lot, 29 North Hamilton St. This walk will highlight the places of worship and people that were influential in the anti-slavery movement, including Smith Metropolitan AME Zion Church, First Congregational Church, and Second Baptist Church.
May 28, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Oakwood Friends School, 22 Spackenkill Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601
A Bonfire Gathering with Historian Anthony Michael Cohen
Please join us for moments of silence, song, and a sharing from Tony Cohen about his journey - what it was like in the past, what it is like today, and what it stands for now, in this particular day and time.
May 29, gather at 3:45 pm, program starts promptly at 4:00 pm
Local Walk #2: River Trail to Freedom and Walkway Over the Hudson
Please join us at the Celebrating the African Spirit memorial in Waryas Park, then walk to Upper Landing Park, across the Walkway Over the Hudson, and end at the Sojourner Truth statue to highlight the history of the anti-slavery movement and influential leaders in our area.
May 31, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
Family Partnership Center, 29 North Hamilton Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
The community is joyously invited to celebrate this historic journey with Tony Cohen and his team. This event will honor the courage, hope, faith and unity that shaped this pivotal chapter in American history with a blessing, music, reflections, remarks from Tony Cohen, and refreshments.
These events are being sponsored by a large number of community partners, listed below:
The Gillespie Forum
Celebrating the African Spirit
Poughkeepsie Public Library District
The Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Branch Library
Mayor Yvonne Flowers
Jamar Cummings, City Chamberlain
Dutchess County Historical Society
Dutchess County Interfaith Council
ENJAN (End the New Jim Crow Action Network)
Family Partnership Center
Smith Metropolitan AME Zion Church
First Congregational United Church of Christ
Christ Episcopal Church Outreach Committee
The Reformed Church of Poughkeepsie
Hudson Valley Gospel Singers & Musicians
The Living History Theater and The Afro Living Library
Somatic Historian: Patina Apis Nikki
Mid-Hudson Anti-Slavery History Project
Oh, Freedom! Quilting Project
Young Adult Committee, Northern Dutchess NAACP Nubian Directions II, Inc.
Poughkeepsie Friends Quaker Meeting and Oakwood Friends School
Walkway Over the Hudson/Friends of the Walkway
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Poughkeepsie
Adams Fairacre Farms
Ulster Savings Bank
Stewart’s Shops
FREEDOMWALK2026
Join the local portion of #FREEDOMWALK2026, a modern-day retracing of the Underground Railroad, celebrating the 30th anniversary of historian Anthony Michael Cohen’s inaugural journey of the same route. Poughkeepsie is one of only ten cities where Cohen and his team will establish their base of operations.
ENJAN is one of more than two dozen local organizations sponsoring #FREEDOMWALK2026. Events include:
Wednesday, May 27, 4:00---6:00 PM: Local Walk #1: The Role of Local Churches in the Anti-Slavery Movement,
Start at the Family Partnership Center parking lot.
Thursday, May 28, 6:00---8:00 PM: Bonfire Gathering with Anthony Michael Cohen, Oakwood School.
Friday, May 29, 4:00 PM: Local Walk #2: River Trail to Freedom and Walkway Over the Hudson. Begin at Celebrating the African Spirit memorial in Waryas Park; end at Sojourner Truth statue (west side of Walkway).
Sunday, May 31, 12:00---3:00 PM: Community Celebration, Family Partnership Center.
For more details, including alternatives in case of rain and list of local sponsors, see attached flier.
Hudson Valley Caribbean Festival
Hudson Valley Caribbean Festival 2026
Saturday, August 2nd, noon to 8:00 pm
Location: Waryas Park, Poughkeepsie Waterfront
Juneteenth Celebration
Juneteenth Celebration
Saturday, June 20th, 1:00 to 5:00 pm
Location: Waryas Park, Poughkeepsie Waterfront
Malcolm X Day Celebration
Malcolm X Day Celebration
Saturday, May 16th, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location: Malcolm X Park, 100 Catherine street, Poughkeepsie
Thank you to ENJAN Members
We are happy to report that yesterday Governor Hochul signed the Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill into law. Here is the announcement:
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-signs-landmark-legislation-improve-safety-security-and-accountability-within
Out of the seventeen criminal justice reform bills ENJAN supported this year, only this bill (S8415/A8871) was passed by both the NYS Senate and NYS Assembly. The signing of this bill will result in a major overhaul of the management and oversight of all New York State prisons and jails. The bill combines original bill S856/A2315, which was focused on improving/expanding the State Commission of Corrections (SCOC), with 9 other improvement initiatives.
Tragically, it took the brutal murders of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi to convince the NYS Legislature and the Governor that something had to be done to begin to fix this very broken system. Thank you to ENJAN Members and the hundreds of thousands of other caring people across the state who raised their voices to support this bill.
The ENJAN Curators
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-signs-landmark-legislation-improve-safety-security-and-accountability-within
Out of the seventeen criminal justice reform bills ENJAN supported this year, only this bill (S8415/A8871) was passed by both the NYS Senate and NYS Assembly. The signing of this bill will result in a major overhaul of the management and oversight of all New York State prisons and jails. The bill combines original bill S856/A2315, which was focused on improving/expanding the State Commission of Corrections (SCOC), with 9 other improvement initiatives.
Tragically, it took the brutal murders of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi to convince the NYS Legislature and the Governor that something had to be done to begin to fix this very broken system. Thank you to ENJAN Members and the hundreds of thousands of other caring people across the state who raised their voices to support this bill.
The ENJAN Curators
Justice for Monica Goods
ENJAN Kingston is helping coordinate a rally in Kingston this Sunday, December 7th, to raise awareness and continue the fight for justice for Monica Goods, who was killed in a 2020 incident involving former New York State Trooper Christopher Baldner. If you are not already familiar with this tragic event and subsequent legal actions, more detail is provided below. The rally will take place in front of the Ulster County Courthouse, 285 Wall Street in Kingston from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. We encourage ENJAN Poughkeepsie members to attend to show your support. Feel free to pass this information on to other organizations who may want to participate. Details are shown in the flyer below.
The flyer also contains a link to a petition (bit.ly/ppl4mg) to sign a petition to "Demand an End To High Speed Police Chases [in New York State] When Children Are Passengers." Please consider signing this petition and please pass on the link to others.
The ENJAN Curators
ENJAN Members
Here are some upcoming events that may be of interest to you:
Wednesday, October 15th: Dr. Philip V. McHarris talk - "Beyond Policing"
Time: 5:30 to 7:00 pm
Location: Rockefeller Hall 200, Vassar College
Summary: This talk draws on Philip V. McHarris’s book Beyond Policing to examine the failures of policing as a framework for safety and the ways Black communities have long enacted practices of care, protection, and refusal beyond the state.
Details: https://www.vassar.edu/news/events/beyond-policing-building-safety-through-care-refusal-and-collective-possibility
Saturday, October 18th: No Kings Protests
No Kings events will be held at various locations across the Mid-Hudson Valley. Here are the details for the Poughkeepsie event...
Time: noon to 2:00 pm
Location: Victor C Waryas Park on the Poughkeepsie waterfront
Details (including other No Kings events): https://www.mobilize.us/aft/event/843525/
Wednesday, October 22nd: NAACP Meet the Candidates
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Location: Cunneen-Hackett Theater, 9 Vassar Street, Poughkeepsie
Summary: Meet and hear the candidates for Dutchess County Judge and Dutchess County Comptroller.
Details: see flyer below
Note that the regular ENJAN meeting has been moved to October 29th to eliminate the conflict with this important event.
Attica Community Rememberance Day
We hope you can join us this Saturday, September 13th at Victor C. Waryas Park on the Poughkeepsie Waterfront for the 6th Annual Attica Uprising Community Remembrance Day. This year's theme is "Echoes Behind the Wall, Fires at the Border."
The event will be held from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. ENJAN will be tabling with a variety of other community and social justice organizations. There is free food, speakers, and entertainment. We expect excellent weather, and everyone is welcome. We hope to see you all there. Thank you.
The ENJAN Curators
Lula Mae Parker Harris Day
Lula Mae Parker Harris Day
Distribution Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025
Location: Throughout the City of Poughkeepsie
Distribution Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025
Location: Throughout the City of Poughkeepsie
September 9, 2023—Dutchess County Proclamation in Honor of the late Lula Mae Parker Harris, Civil Rights Pioneer-Beloved Community Organizer:
"She believed every person deserved respect and dignity. We carry her legacy forward through service and solidarity."
A $25 contribution will provide a self-care package to someone experiencing housing insecurity. To donate or get involved: Monique Tyler: 301-254-8971 • Renee Galloway: 301-442-9995. Your support is an act of a promise kept.
Repression and radical resistance
“Since 1979, New Afrikans living in the American empire have used the month of August to draw attention to "the oppressive treatment of our brothers and sisters disappeared inside the state-run gulags and concentration camps America calls prisons." For the Afrikan peoples of the Diaspora, especially in the California prison isolation units where the commemoration practice started. Black August is a month of enormous historical significance. Black August, according to Mumia Abu-jamal, one of our most devoted New Afrikan Freedom Fighters, "is a month of divine meaning, of repression and radical resistance, of injustice and divine justice; of repression and righteous rebellion; of individual and collective efforts to free the slaves and break the chains that bind us."
Upcoming events
ENJAN Members,
We wanted to let you know about some upcoming events that are directly related to ENJAN's mission. We hope you are able to attend. Thank you.
The ENJAN Curators
Thursday, July 31st, 3:00 pm: Journalism Behind Bars
Virtual event via Zoom with incarcerated journalist Jeremy Busby
Friday, August 1st, 7:00 to 9:00 pm: A Meeting with Kevin Douglass Greene
Location: Lateef Islam Auditorium, 29 North Hamilton Street, Poughkeepsie
Kevin Douglass is a senior advisor with the Frederick Douglass Family Initiative
Saturday, August 2nd, noon to 3:00 pm: Frederick Douglass:Celebration
Location: College Hill Park, 149 North Clinton Street, Poughkeepsie
No registration required
Tuesday, August 5th, 5:00 to 8:00 pm: National Night Out
Location: Poughkeepsie City Hall
Open to the public free of charge
[ENJAN will be tabling]
Saturday, September 13th, 2:00 to 6:00 pm: Attica Community Remembrance Day BBQ
Location: Poughkeepsie Waterfront
[ENJAN will be tabling]
Upcoming Juneteenth events in the City of Poughkeepsie
ENJAN Members,
We hope you can all attend the upcoming Juneteenth events in the City of Poughkeepsie:
Saturday, June 14th at 6:15 to 8:30 pm - Opening Celebration
Waryas Park Pavillion
Performance by BaseCamp
Waryas Park Pavillion
Performance by BaseCamp
Thursday, June 19th at 6:00 pm in Waryas Park, Celebrating the African Spirit will be unveiling a new CAS Memorial Marker in the park to "honor the legacy of enslaved African Americans and their role in the lives of Poughkeepsie today." Learn more and contribute here: CAS Memorial Marker
Saturday, June 21st from 12:30 to 1:00 pm - Juneteenth Parade
Starting at Main Street and Market Street
Starting at Main Street and Market Street
Line up at noon
Saturday, June 21st from 1:00pm to 5:00 pm - Afternoon Celebration
Waryas Park
Vendors, Performers and Activities
Waryas Park
Vendors, Performers and Activities
ENJAN will be tabling all afternoon
We hope to see you there! Thank you.
The ENJAN Curators
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