Program Description
Event Details
Join the Croton Free Library for a screening of:
"The Peekskill Riots: Episode One"
A Documentary Film by Jon Scott Bennett
Friday, Sept. 13 at 7pm
On Aug. 27 and Sept. 4, 1949, violence broke out at two concerts held outside Peekskill, NY, headlined by black singer, actor, and activist Paul Robeson. Citizens of Peekskill, galvanized by racist and antisemitic sentiments and disdain for Robeson’s left-wing views and campaign for civil rights, started two riots that resulted in hundreds of injuries, made national news, and unofficially marked the beginning of the McCarthy era, which would nearly erase Robeson from the public consciousness. Who was he? What did he do? What did he stand for? These questions must be answered in order to understand what brought him to Peekskill.
This first episode of a five-part docu-series will serve not only as an introduction to the story of the concerts, but it will also introduce the headlining performer, Paul Robeson, the first and last casualty of the Peekskill Riots.
Local filmmaker Jon Scott Bennett will present his film and participate in a Q&A afterward.
Free and open to all! This program is not appropriate for young children.