Still We Stand: Beyond the Peekskill Riots- Inspired by Paul Robeson
Still We Stand: Beyond the Peekskill Riots is the Robeson in Peekskill Project’s third annual commemoration of the Peekskill Riots and celebration of the life and legacy of Paul Robeson: a brilliant scholar, world-renowned artist, and courageous voice for human dignity.
Still We Stand is an afternoon of music, spoken word, visual storytelling, and community connection rooted in the past, alive with the energy of today, and centered on what brings us together now. Inspired by Robeson’s 1919 Rutgers valedictory address, The New Idealism, this year’s program asks what it means to “make national unity a reality” and to carry forward the liberties entrusted to us.
Narrated by acclaimed author and scholar Shana L. Redmond, with visuals by local documentarian Jon Scott Bennett, creator of a five-part docuseries on the Peekskill Riots, the program will bring Robeson’s legacy into conversation with the voices, rhythms, and creative energy of today’s community.
The afternoon features a powerful and joyful lineup of artists from within and beyond the Hudson Valley. Resistance Revival Chorus, a New York City-based collective that centers women in music and activism, brings songs rooted in joy, justice, and collective voice. Their performances have been heard at the Grammys, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo, Newport Folk Festival, and major public gatherings across the country.
Cole Quest and The City Pickers carry American folk music forward with warmth, wit, and a restless New York energy. Led by dobro player, songwriter, and vocalist Cole Quest (grandson of Woody Guthrie) the band blends the storytelling spirit of folk with the drive of bluegrass, creating a sound that feels both timeless and immediate.
The program also features artists and ensembles with deep roots in Peekskill and the surrounding community: Bria The Artist, a singer, songwriter, producer, and multidisciplinary creative whose work blends soulful vocals, vivid storytelling, and genre-bending production; Amauta, a local ensemble of culture bearers sharing the Indigenous music of the Andes; and the Peekskill City Singers, bringing the voices of local youth to the Paramount stage.
Together, these artists will create a memorable afternoon of music, meaning, and movement of enduring inspiration for how we listen, gather, and stand together today.
Narrated by acclaimed author and scholar Shana L. Redmond, with visuals by local documentarian Jon Scott Bennett, creator of a five-part docuseries on the Peekskill Riots, the program will bring Robeson’s legacy into conversation with the voices, rhythms, and creative energy of today’s community.
The afternoon features a powerful and joyful lineup of artists from within and beyond the Hudson Valley. Resistance Revival Chorus, a New York City-based collective that centers women in music and activism, brings songs rooted in joy, justice, and collective voice. Their performances have been heard at the Grammys, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo, Newport Folk Festival, and major public gatherings across the country.
Cole Quest and The City Pickers carry American folk music forward with warmth, wit, and a restless New York energy. Led by dobro player, songwriter, and vocalist Cole Quest (grandson of Woody Guthrie) the band blends the storytelling spirit of folk with the drive of bluegrass, creating a sound that feels both timeless and immediate.
The program also features artists and ensembles with deep roots in Peekskill and the surrounding community: Bria The Artist, a singer, songwriter, producer, and multidisciplinary creative whose work blends soulful vocals, vivid storytelling, and genre-bending production; Amauta, a local ensemble of culture bearers sharing the Indigenous music of the Andes; and the Peekskill City Singers, bringing the voices of local youth to the Paramount stage.
Together, these artists will create a memorable afternoon of music, meaning, and movement of enduring inspiration for how we listen, gather, and stand together today.
