A Listening Town Hall: People of Color Sharing their Experiences in Dutchess County

A Listening Town Hall: People of Color Sharing their Experiences in Dutchess County

Poughkeepsie, NY …  On Tuesday, July 7^th from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Dutchess County will hold a virtual forum titled “A Listening Town Hall: People of Color Sharing their Experiences in Dutchess County.”  The forum will be co-hosted by County Executive Marc Molinaro, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, the Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights, the Northern Dutchess NAACP, and the Southern Dutchess Coalition. The event will be held via Zoom and streamed live on the County’s Facebook page. If you would like to listen and observe via zoom, sign up by visiting DutchessNY.gov/ListeningTownHall. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters from Mid-Hudson Interpreter Service will be available on the zoom meeting to sign.

Elected officials and representatives from every single town, city, and village in Dutchess County will be on the call to watch and listen to testimony shared. There will be limited comments from public officials to allow for as many testimonies as possible to be heard.

Former United State Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson will also participate in the Listening Town Hall to share his experience and speak to the importance of this event. Secretary Johnson is a former Dutchess County resident who served in the Obama Administration as General Counsel of the Department of Defense and the fourth Secretary of Homeland Security in US history.

The event will be moderated by (Grace) Angela Henry, a local professional voice actor, daughter of social justice activists, and active volunteer and board member on several local non-profits and organizations. Ms. Henry has moderated and emceed similar events for nonprofits and local companies.

Throughout the evening, community leaders who helped organize the Listening Town Hall will be available to help foster conversation and respond to any comments or questions from individuals who speak. This group includes:

• Stacey Bottoms of the Beulah Bapist Church,
• Councilwoman Yvonne Flowers of the City of Poughkeepsie,
• Bishop Debra Gause of the Holy Light Pentecostal Church,
• Jody Miller, Commissioner of the Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights,
• William Patterson, Case Manager at Nubian Directions,
• Ken Roman, Dutchess County’s Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Response, and,
• Karmen Smallwood, Dutchess County’s Assistant Commissioner of Youth Services.

All spots reserved for speaking time have been filled and as a result, registration to offer spoken testimony is now closed. All residents are welcome to listen and participate.