The Desmond-Fish Public Library is excited to join Philipstown Aging at Home (PAAH)  in presenting a book discussion of The 1619 Project, created by Nikole Hannah-Jones. We will be meeting monthly to digest and discuss different parts of the book. On Monday, May 6th, we will examine the preface and first two chapters: Origins, Democracy, & Race. Copies of the book will be available at the library.

From the publisher:
The animating idea of The 1619 Project is that our national narrative is more accurately told if we begin not on July 4, 1776, but in late August of 1619, when a ship arrived in Jamestown bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival inaugurated a barbaric and unprecedented system of chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the country’s very origin. The 1619 Project tells this new origin story, placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are as a country… The 1619 Project ultimately sends a very strong message: We must have a clear vision of this history if we are to understand our present dilemmas. Only by reckoning with this difficult history and trying as hard as we can to understand its powerful influence on our present, can we prepare ourselves for a more just future.

On Saturday, March 9, 2024, a majority of the Board of Trustees of the Desmond-Fish Public Library voted to retain the library’s official name:
the Alice Curtis Desmond and Hamilton Fish Library.

The open meeting vote followed discussion during which trustees expressed a variety of points of view. The trustees thanked all the members of the community who have shared their thoughts over the past 15 months, including those who wrote letters, attended board meetings, participated in library conversations, completed a survey, and served on a name review working group.  Despite divided opinions, the community has shown remarkable trust and engagement throughout the entire process.

In acknowledging the recommendations of the name review working group, the library will continue to host programming that is informative about the era; add to its substantial physical and online collection of books and other resources dealing with 20th century history, including that of Hamilton Fish III; and plan other actions with the goal of continuing to make the library a welcoming place for all members of the community. The executive committee of the board, led by first vice president George Lansbury and second vice president Libby Anderson and including other trustees and advisory council members,  will direct the library’s response. 

Board president Anita Prentice thanked her fellow trustees, library staff, and especially director Dede Farabaugh for keeping the library dedicated to patron service throughout the name review process. She emphasized that the library will continue to grow as an institution, as we gain new insights into our role in the community.  The staff and trustees strongly condemn prejudice and intolerance, and remain committed to working actively against racism, bias, and discrimination in all forms.