Easy Breezy on This Hot Day! :: Retail Therapy Delivered 7/15/2022
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ce McCray
HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL
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Tiny Speed Bumps Return To Memorial Park - Will Other Parts Of The City Get Speed Bumps?
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Speed bumps in Beacon have always been debated. Memories from many citizens testify that speed bumps were down at Memorial Park, and down Wilkes Street (the street that runs along the baseball diamonds and houses).
Last year, A Little Beacon Blog published an article wondering where the speed bumps had gone. Note that the picture taken in that article had green foliage, despite being published in November. From attending kids sports games at the base of the sledding hill at Memorial Park and watching dirt bikes and sports cars zoom up and down the hill, it seemed that there was a year or two where the speed bumps had not been put down.
In year’s past, former Mayor Randy Casale was not an advocate for speed bumps. He was the Highway Superintendent for 16 years, and stated that the plow trucks could not plow over the bumps. However, seasonally, the bumps are taken up for such a reason.
This year, the speed bumps are screwed down in Memorial Park. They are small, and in two parts, meaning a space is between them for a car to avoid one side of the bump, or a cycle to speed through without slowing.
Citizens have asked if other parts of Beacon will get speed bumps. Such as on cut-through streets like Willow Street, or high traffic volume streets like Liberty Street near the mountain. As City Council Members make attempts to push New York State to change its law about the minimum speed limit on Main Street being 30mph, some citizens have asked if Main Street itself could have speed bumps, since police enforcement is difficult while being short staffed.
GoFundMe Donation Page Created For Amy's African Braids; Business Lost In Fire At Mr. Bell's Salon
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Amy’s African Braids was located inside of Mr. Bell’s salon. A Little Beacon Blog has been writing about Amy’s African Braids ever since she was open in Sexy Nails (now the cat cafe after the nail salon moved out during the pandemic), then in a spot in the strip at the car wash which she moved out of in 2019, and into Mr. Bell’s.
On the afternoon of the fire, one of Amy’s stylists had just left for the day, before the fire broke out. She returned to the salon after being called about the news that everything was destroyed in the fire. When A Little Beacon Blog asked her if she lost assets that she needed to braid customer’s hair, she stared blankly, and could only answer that she was thankful that she was not inside when the fire started. When asked where she would continue her braiding, she remained bewildered and thought maybe from her home.
Now that some time has passed, Amy’s Braids has launched a GoFundMe page. A Little Beacon Blog is in direct contact with Amy. After all of these years, our paths have crossed, as one of ALBB’s children is best friends with Amy’s nieces.
To learn more about her business, Amy answered a few questions. She’s looking for chairs, mirrors, hair, and products. Usually different hair is purchased in advance, and some is in stock at the salon for the stylists to braid into different styles. Both men and women come in from every 2 weeks to a month to have their hair braided in protective styles, depending on the occasion. Braiding starts at $40 and goes up.
ALBB is finding out where people can find Amy’s African Braids now, for those who need her for style refreshes or new designs. This article will be updated. As of now, to be out of work and all tools and products lost, the GoFundMe is the most important.
GoFundMe Page Created For Mr. Alvin Bell. Wife Shirley Bell Confirms She Is Connected! Donate Now (Or Again!)
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UPDATE!
Mr. Bell’s GoFundMe Fundraiser >
Amy’s African Braids Fundraiser >
When Mr. Alvin Bell’s decades old and beloved salon burned in a fire last week, destroying everything including professional tools and memory markers, the community rushed to want to help him. A GoFundMe page couldn’t have been created fast enough to satisfy the amount of people who asked A Little Beacon Blog if a donation page had been started yet.
Ears to the ground, we waited to hear. It was slow going at first (a 24 hour turnaround in this case was too long). Mr. Bell is in his 80s, so things might take a while. Taking to the streets to find the answer, we found a family member of Mr. Bell, who had heard something was in the works. The following day, word spread that a GoFundMe page had been created, but nobody knew who the creator was.
Beaconites, and New Yorkers in general, are a skeptical bunch. ALBB got Mr. Bell’s phone number, and even he didn’t know about the GoFundMe page. He asked that we wait until he learned more.
According to the GoFundMe, the creator, Nathan Chackerian, had created the page with deep concern for getting Mr. Bell back into a salon, and was working with Mr. Bell’s wife, Shirley, to make this happen. According to Nathan’s Facebook, which he confirmed to ALBB, Nathan moved to Beacon around March 2022, and is ninja warrior full stack developer who is currently developing a new social media app.
Nathan told ALBB: “My mom is the person that knows him the best. I like Beacon so far and am trying to get to know more people my age in town.” He says he has been to Bank Square often.
Nathan set the goal for $6,500, and many Beaconites began donating. ALBB called Mr. Bell again, who this time, handed the phone over the Shirley. With confidence and enthusiasm, Shirley confirmed that Nathan and a person named Alexander were helping, and that the GoFundMe page is legit.
Nathan has already updated the page by saying he hadn’t expected such a generous turnout, and did not know the true cost of recreating a salon. According to his update, he is going to post itemized assets provided by Shirley that they would need. “They are hoping to stay on Main Street,” Nathan told ALBB.
Said Nathan in an update about the low-ish goal: “The $6500 number was an off-the-cuff estimate from someone who knows nothing about what they do (me)- it might be somewhat low. They had six chairs - three for braiding and three for barbering services and wash stations and cabinets with mirrors plus equipment. At the time we started this campaign, I had no idea we could get anywhere near that number... but now that we see what extraordinary kindness is possible, we might increase it here - or otherwise ask private donors for help purchasing any remaining items.”
The power remains off at Mr. Bell’s as well as John the Cobbler next door, whose shop also endured smoke damage. Said Nathan in an update on the donation page: “I am told that this week they may have access to the space to see what, if anything, can be salvaged - I will plan to shoot a quick video of the interior to post here-- and then leave them alone at what is likely to be an emotional time. Thank you again for your outstanding generosity.“
You can learn more about the donation campaign here, and make your donation! >
If you donated once, maybe donate again!
List Of Property Plans To Be Discussed At Beacon's Planning Board Meeting (July 2022)
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Plans, visions and ideas for the following properties will be discussed at the City of Beacon’s Planning Board Meeting, July 12, 2022. Click here for more details with links to supporting documents related to each property.
1. "Beacon Views Townhouses" (37 units), Conklin Street, submitted by Beacon Views, LLC
2. 16 West Main Street (62 units), submitted by Farrell Building Company
3. Hotel and event space, 1113 Wolcott Avenue, submitted by Prophecy Theater, LLC (postponed to August 9, 2022 at the request of the applicant)
4. 2-lot residential, 46 Judson Street, submitted by 46 Judson, LLC (postponed to August 9, 2022 at the request of the applicant)
5. Indoor and outdoor event space, 4 Hanna lane, submitted by Jason Hughes
6. 2-lot residential, 146 Verplanck Avenue, submitted by James Petty
7. Mirbeau Inn & Spa at Howland Estate, 7 Craig House Lane, submitted by The Mirbeau Companies
8. 2-lot residential, 67 Grove Street
9. Small cell wireless facility on an existing light pole and one antenna, 2 Red Flynn Drive, submitted by Verizon Wireless of the East, LP (dba Verizon Wireless)
10. Artist studios, 5 Henry Street, submitted by Michael Braden
11. Accessory apartment, 31 Beacon Street, submitted by Kyle Donnelly
12. 12 Highland Place, submitted by Lori Joseph Builders Inc
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HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL
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Mr. Bell's & Amy's Braids Salon Businesses Destroyed In Fire On Main Street In Beacon
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UPDATE 7/12/2022: GoFundMe fundraisers have been created!
Click here for Mr. Bell’s GoFundMe Fundraiser.
Click here for Amy’s African Braids GoFundMe Fundraiser.
On Wednesday afternoon (7/6/2022) at around 3pm, several fire engines pulled up to Main Street and Willow Street, and did not leave. Several more fire trucks from other fire engine companies pulled into town, including Rombout Fire Company, an all volunteer company serving the Town of Fishkill, as well as multiple trucks from Central Hudson.
With such a collection of trucks over the course of several hours, one might have expected to see flames billowing out of a building on Main Street. But no such flames were seen, nor billows of black smoke against the blue sky.
However, inside of Mr. Bell’s Unisex Main Street Beauty Salon, a line of fire had spread up a wall to the back going up the ceiling, with smoke coming out the bottom of the front door, according to a local person who spoke with the woman who first reported the fire.
Mr. Alvin Bell’s shop, before the fire. Read all about his decades-long history with Beacon.
No one was inside the shop, and no one was hurt. Mr. Alvin Bell and his wife Shirley were at home, done for the day, and the stylists of Amy’s Braids had left the shop and locked up, according to Mr. Bell and a stylist from Amy’s Braids. If you don’t know Mr. Bell, he is iconic, and a deep part of Beacon, having opened his shop decades ago after being laid off as the lead pressman at the Nabisco box printing factory, which is now Dia. He restarted his career at the age of 54, following his wife in hair styling, which was his passion at a very young age.
According to a local person, a woman was handing out free pizza from Big Vinny’s, the new pizza and cannoli shop (not new to New York, however), and noticed a line of fire traveling up the right side wall and up the ceiling, with smoke pouring out of Mr. Bell’s and called 911.
The fire engines arrived and worked to control and put out the fire. According to a firefighter, Beacon’s Chief Gary VanVoorhis will put out a media release soon, as the investigation is ongoing.
According to a neighbor, some smoke spilled into neighboring units, including John’s Shoe Repair, the cobber ALBB has blogged about before. When approached to see what of his business assets were damaged, the cobbler was the most concerned about retrieving customer’s shoes for them, rather than commenting about any loss.
After the fire was put out, Mr. Alvin Bell and his wife Shirley stood outside of their shop, bewildered. Shriely what as a total loss, saying they had lost everything. Furniture, photos, memorabilia. On the walls were photos of their lives as they grew the salon business in Beacon, as well as Shirley’s career. She started as a stylist, and pivoted to West Point, where she retired as a government inspector. The photo of that retirement, she said, seemed to be gone in the now rubble of the shop.
Mr. Bell was chipper as usual, in his ever-dapper clothes, but he expressed the most concern about his photo with Pete Seeger, as well as his boxing gloves. A Dutchess County Fire Investigator brought to Mr. Bell a stack of jewelry boxes, with at least one containing cuff links. His next recovered item was a suitcase that Mr. Bell was quite excited about.
However, the inspector could not yet find the photo of Pete Seeger, but suggested that a pair of boxing gloves might be salvaged.
The stylist at Amy’s Braids was equally stunned, amazed this had happened. When asked if she lost anything, she only commented that she was simply grateful she was not inside to get hurt. When asked where she could be found braiding again, she slightly shook her head and suggested her home.
New York State Lawmakers Revive & Pass Equal Rights Amendment To Protect Right To Abortion In State Constitution, Advancing To Next Step
/The New York State Senate and Assembly advanced the first passage of an amendment, S.51002, to codify the right to an abortion and the right to contraception in the New York State Constitution. After this first step of passing this resolution, it “must be passed by two successive legislatures, and supported by a majority of voters in a public referendum,” said Senator Anna Kaplan, a co-sponsor, with the earliest for a referendum coming to a vote being November 2023.
The Resolution that passed on July 1, 2022 would codify the right to an abortion and the right to contraception, in addition to protecting New Yorkers from various forms of discrimination, as well as protecting from future action by the Supreme Court dismantling rights for LGBTQ+ people, according to a press release by Senator Kaplan. "The resolution expands equal protection under the law to several new identity classes, including on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex,” she said. “Sex includes sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive healthcare and autonomy."
The lead sponsor is Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
Is Modifying The State Constitution To Protect Abortion Rights, Women, Girls, And All Birthing People New?
According to the New York Times, 15 states including California are seeking to amend their state constitutions to protect the right to save the life of the woman, girl or birthing person for any reason, including financial, wrong time in life, wrong potential partner, and mental and physical health. New York State had tried this before, but failed. During the creation of that effort back then, the lead sponsor, Senator Liz Krueger, said they learned many things while drafting it.
Back in February 2022, The Times Union reported on that earlier proposal that the "inclusive Equal Rights Amendment" is different than the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) at the federal level. Said Senator Krueger then, it was very different than the 45-year-old federal effort, because the state-level amendment "would expand on the federal ERA language to include protections for race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and pregnancy."
According to reporting in Politico, the earlier version of the proposal stalled because over disagreements of recognition based on religion. Politico pointed out that this version was “modified to address critics’ concerns over potential effects on religious freedom.”
The Assembly passed broad state Equal Rights Amendment with 98-43 vote Friday evening, and the Senate “hours earlier swiftly approved the resolution on a 49-14 vote after just minutes of floor discussion,” reported Politico. “The amendment would add explicit protections for New Yorkers to access abortion care,” as well as the right to contraception.
Why Now?
New York Governor Kathy Hochul called for a special session after the Supreme Court struck down New York's open-carry gun law. The Supreme Court then struck down Roe V. Wade, and New York's Equal Rights amendment was added to the agenda for the special session shortly thereafter.
As reported by Politico, the lead sponsor of this version of the bill, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins “told reporters that the Supreme Court’s ruling last week ratcheted up lawmakers’ urgency to finally move the proposal after years of debate in Albany. She noted that Friday’s vote came on the anniversary when New York’s abortion law took effect more than 50 years ago.”
After the extraordinary session on Friday called by New York Governor Kathy Hochul to address New York’s gun laws and abortion, she told reporters: “It’s part of our fighting back to protect women’s reproductive freedoms here in the state of New York. That [amendment] is going to protect reproductive health in the state of New York for generations to come.”
In defense of both votes, Governor Hochul said: “We're not going backwards. They may think that they can change our lives with the stroke of a pen. But we have pens, too," as reported by The Poughkeepsie Journal.
Abortion Rights Protection At The Federal Level In The Constitution
The Times Union interviewed Wilfred Codrington, an assistant professor at Brooklyn Law School and a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, to discover more about the federal effort to add an equal rights amendment for women to the U.S. Constitution. According to him, it has been in the works since the 1920s.
Codrington said "the Constitution doesn't require women be treated equally." He explained that "if there’s nothing permanent and enshrined in the Constitution protecting those values, a number of statutes we’re seeing being contested in the courts and eviscerated or struck down that also were meant to be enduring."
Senator Krueger was starting with New York state by attempting a broader reach than just women, which "would make New York state, I believe, the first in the nation to recognize that all of our populations should have nondiscrimination protections within our Constitution ... (for) a broader universe of categories of humans and for a broader range of issues than gender," she said as reported by The Times Union.
With Senator Krueger’s bill “There's all kinds of precedent that we need to make sure we have the language correctly on, that we are not impeding one right by protecting another right. So I have found that attempting a complex change in a Constitution is a much more difficult assignment than I had originally hoped for," Krueger said.
Supreme Court Stripped New York Of Its Gun Protection; NY Democrats Pushed Back By Signing New Regulations
/In special session called by New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday, after the Supreme Court voted to neuter New York of protections in its open carry gun law, the Democratic-led Legislature gathered to enact new restrictions on carrying guns in public, as reported in the Poughkeepsie Journal. The New York law that Justice Thomas and the other justices struck down cast doubt on lawmaker’s ability to restrict carrying guns in public places. A Little Beacon Blog first explored this law when it reported on this truck with the pistol mounted to the flagpole.
According to SCOTUS Blog: “Thomas rebuffed New York’s effort to justify its proper-cause requirement as an effort to regulate guns in ‘sensitive places’ – specifically, crowded urban areas, like Manhattan, where people are likely to gather. Thomas agreed that, as a historical matter, there have long been laws restricting guns in places like courthouses and polling places. Moreover, he continued, restrictions that apply to the modern versions of ‘sensitive places’ may also pass constitutional muster. Although Thomas left open exactly what might qualify as a ‘sensitive place,’ he made clear that urban areas do not meet that definition. The state’s ‘argument would in effect exempt cities from the Second Amendment and would eviscerate the general right to publicly carry arms for self-defense,’ Thomas concluded.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul Responded To Justice Thomas With More Defined Restrictions
The pistol mounted to the flagpole of this truck prompts the question of if it is legal, and if it being real or decorative matters. Read more here.
While Justice Clarence Thomas felt that any person had a right to bear arms outside of the home, without needing to prove anything including the need for self-defense, Governor Hochul and many New Yorkers disagreed. When signing the law, the Governor “warned that easing restrictions on carrying guns would endanger New Yorkers by multiplying the number of hidden guns being carried in public places,” the Poughkeepsie Journal reported.
The new law signed Friday in New York, after the Supreme Court made its alteration, identifies gun-free zones that includes houses of worship, schools and colleges, stadiums, theaters, parks and playgrounds. “That prohibition applies to all types of firearms - rifles and shotguns in addition to handguns - and covers private properties unless a business owner posts a sign saying that they are allowed, or a homeowner grants permission. Those caught carrying guns in prohibited places could be charged with a felony,” reported the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Additional restrictions in New York’s new gun law include (as reported by the Poughkeepsie Journal):
“Applicants for concealed-carry licenses must undergo 16 hours of training and pass a proficiency test.”
“Guns must be locked up in vehicles as state law already requires for those in homes with children.”
“The state will do monthly checks of license holders for criminal convictions and other disqualifying acts.”
There are exemptions to who can carry firearms in public in the listed location types, which include retired police officers, on-duty security guards and military service members.
In terms of votes, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported that the” Senate voted 43-20 on the gun bill, with Democrats in support and Republicans in opposition. Several hours later, the Assembly approved the measure in a 91-51 vote after holding its own marathon debate with a stark partisan contrast. Hochul signed the bill shortly afterward. It's to take effect Sept. 1.”
Union For Healthcare Workers 1199SEIU Demands Abortion Rights Be Restored With Federal Law
/On June 24, 2022, the United Healthcare Workers East 1199SEIU, the largest union of healthcare workers in the United States, sent a statement to the press in response to the overturning of Roe vs Wade, which fundamentally changed the control people who give birth have over their bodies and future lives.
“Large majorities of Americans support abortion rights. Yet the Supreme Court, stacked with extremist voices totally out of step with our nation’s values, has radically undermined the right of every person who can get pregnant to control their own bodies.”
Their statement from George Gresham, President of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East reads as follows:
“As a union of healthcare workers, we recognize that the right to an abortion is fundamental to reproductive health, overall health, and bodily bodily autonomy. 1199SEIU is appalled that the US Supreme Court has erased half a century of legal precedent allowing people to make the most basic decisions about their bodies, lives, and families. While much of the world is moving forward to secure greater reproductive rights, we have taken a tremendous step backward.
“Large majorities of Americans support abortion rights. Yet the Supreme Court, stacked with extremist voices totally out of step with our nation’s values, has radically undermined the right of every person who can get pregnant to control their own bodies.
Hello, World!
“Those who can afford it will travel out of state or out of country for abortion procedures; those with the least financial means will have nowhere to go. The same politicians who herald the end of reproductive freedom will not raise a finger to improve pre- and post-natal care and ensure that health services are universally available.”
“The ramifications of overturning Roe vs. Wade are as gut-wrenching as they are predictable: there will be an immediate wave of abortion bans in states around the country as trigger laws go into effect. People will seek out alternative and dangerous ways of ending their pregnancies. Rape victims, including children, will be forced to carry to term. Those who can afford it will travel out of state or out of country for abortion procedures; those with the least financial means will have nowhere to go. The same politicians who herald the end of reproductive freedom will not raise a finger to improve pre- and post-natal care and ensure that health services are universally available.
“This decision must be a glaring wake-up call to the dysfunction of our nation’s political life and the grave threat of authoritarianism to our democracy, our laws, and institutions.
“1199SEIU stands firmly behind the right to choose and we will continue to fight tooth and nail to preserve this most basic freedom. We call on Congress to codify abortion rights into federal law immediately.
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. They represent over 450,000 nurses and caregivers throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.
Main Street Businesses Berte & Hyperbole Host "Aid & Abet Abortion" Fundraiser
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Ushering in July’s First Friday this weekend, a new fundraiser popped up between Berte and Hyperbole. Beacon’s First Friday’s are a new initiative from all shops on Main Street who want to be involved. It’s a night to shop “late night,” which in Beacon means past 6pm. This is an especially great opportunity for locals who are already here and can settle in after hitting up their favorite shops, or ones they haven’t walked in yet.
The Aid & Abet Fundraiser On The East End Of Town Near The Mountain
Created by Amy at Berte in partnership with Hyperbole, this fundraiser let people in the community know where they as people and as their business stands. Usually risky for a business to do that, this issue has surpassed this veil of caution. Read more about why Amy created it here.
The owners of Hyperboleny shared this with their Instagram community:
“SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade, a horrible nightmare for birthing people in this Country. Now is the time to branch out to your communities, organize, and take real action towards the right to abortion care.
“We're teaming up with @shopberte and @wildbowerstudio for a helpful and necessary raffle, by including our "Abort the Supreme Court" merch created in collaboration with @dzandone as a prize. Come to Hyperbole or Berte this #FirstFriday and buy a $10 raffle ticket (or multiple $10 raffle tickets) and your donation will go directly to @abortionfunds. Take a look at what you can win, and come support this incredibly dire cause. Low on cash? Share this post to spread the word!"
”Thank you Aimee (@shopberte) for creating this fundraiser. Community is everything.”
While the raffle may be over, now you know it happened. Follow them on their Instagrams and sign up for their newsletters to stay ahead of what they got going on.
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Registration Open For The Beacon Pool
HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL
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3rd Annual Chalk Art Protest - July 4th, 10am-12pm - Intersectional & Intergenerational
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Several readers of A Little Beacon Blog have written in, asking “Where is the protest in Beacon? Where can I go to express? How do I get a permit for a protest? I can’t stay quiet on this one!”
Well friends - you are in luck. The 3rd Annual Chalk Art Protest created and produced by Moraya Seeger DeGeare, MA, LMFT is this Monday, July 4th, at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park from 10am-12pm. Did you just see that last name, Seeger, twice? You did. Moraya is a marriage and relationship therapist with BFF Therapy; she’s a relationship and sex columnist for Refinery29; she’s a parent of two young children in the Beacon City School District; and she’s a granddaughter of Pete and Toshi Seeger, the musical and poetic activists who were crucial in the civil rights movement and restoring climate justice to the Hudson Valley.
About The July 4th Chalk-In Protest
In this riverside protest, Moraya will be leading a chalk-based therapy protest in a way most likely none of you have experienced in a protest before. This chalk-in is about getting in touch with yourself to find your message, and most importantly to speak it loudly (or at all). Moraya, a human of multi-races (her grandmother is half Japanese and half from the USA’s South, her father is Black, and her mother and grandfather are White), maintains a very special lens for viewing the world. Her mission is to share it with you so that you can experience your surroundings more broadly.
“While you may be coming to this chalk-in protest for abortion-rights rage, you will be leaving with racial injustice rage that you should also be speaking about. Oppression is everywhere, and one person’s oppression that is unique to them cannot be ignored for another person’s oppression just because someone hasn’t experienced it. ”
One of her specialties is spotting intersectional morphisms. According to Wikipedia: “Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of advantage and disadvantage.”
While you may be coming to this chalk-in protest for abortion-rights rage, you will be leaving with racial injustice rage that you should also be speaking about. Oppression is everywhere, and one person’s oppression that is unique to them cannot be ignored for another person’s oppression just because someone hasn’t experienced it. If you feel an ounce of it here, recognize an ounce of it there. Respect it and do something.
This chalk-in can be an outlet for the rage anyone is feeling right now with the latest Supreme Court ruling that strips birthing people of the rights and independence to their bodies, as well as upcoming rulings the Supreme Court has reached out on (voting rights, redistricting, climate justice). Says Moraya about the chalk-in: “Identity work is understanding all the different parts of self. My persional view is that it builds from the values in your childhood home along with your location in the world aka culture and society. Sexual, race, gender, age, it’s constantly evolving.”
Kids Are Welcome & Encouraged To Attend
Part of Moraya’s mission in this is to encourage conversation between parents and caregivers with their children. But also with their own inner child. From her website of the movement:
“The heart of this project is to have deeper conversations about systemic issues with children so that they can grow up having language and confidence to continue to talk about racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, sexism, climate change and the list goes on. One of the main things I experienced in 2020 was the number of White people in my life who reached out with emails, texts, people from decades ago sliding into my DMs, and leaving outrageously long apology voicemails saying they had no idea that Black people have been navigating so much racism.
“I’ll be honest, each time someone who I have known for years said those words it nearly hurt worse than watching the news and seeing another Black person murdered. After talking to my Black friends, it turns out I was getting a particularly high number of these messages – I am talking hundreds of them in the spring of 2020. Even my 1st-grade teacher reached out with a story that only centered on her White experience as a teacher to me, her only Black student.
“I didn’t need to hear about how she learned so much from me, a 6-year-old, as I dealt with racism in her class. I needed her to say: ‘I am so sorry for not protecting you. For creating an environment you felt safe to learn in.’
“I got off the phone with her, I was 9 months pregnant, doing remote school with my kindergartener who also was struggling to learn to read, and I just cried. I wept for 6-year-old Moraya who was in all-White education environments her whole childhood.
“I cried for my own children, who are now living in a pandemic and civil unrest. My Black son just hugged me and said ‘let’s go garden and pick some tomatoes mom.’ I looked at him and thought, I have taught you to love the earth, to have a voice, to know that your birthright is to feel joy. A radical act for Black children in America. But I cannot keep you safe once you leave this little house in the woods, with our streams and waterfalls. I can’t protect you from other kids saying your skin is too dark to play their games.
“All of these moments fueled me. It told me that I need to do something to help folks understand that these conversations can and need to happen from a young age. If my kids can experience racism since birth, with their Black mother almost dying in the hospital, yours can certainly talk about it.
“This year’s project is focusing on the idea that if ALL of us are doing our own identity work, we will have deeper empathy and curiosity in ourselves, to hopefully have a deeper desire to understand and connect others who are navigating complex and marginalized identities.”
Chalk-In Schedule
10am: Start. Do any kind of chalk art, writing, scribbles, whatever comes out of your brain/hand.
11am: A little lesson on identity, intersectional identity and the value in understanding your own identity in your activism work.
Then back to chalking.
12pm: The chalk-in ends, “but people can chalk longer,” Moraya says.
Follow @stampouthate for updates.
Kids Classes Guide Updated - Tons Of Opportunities For Summer Classes And Activities
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Beacon is filled with opportunities for kids and families to attend a variety of classes, from Mommy and Me, to drop-off art classes, to various vacation Camps, reading camps, gaming camps, and so much more! This inspired ALBB to create a Kids Classes Guide; for people who attend classes in town as well as anyone who drives to neighboring areas for popular programs. We highlight Guide Updates on the blog in different articles and keep this list updated throughout the year.
We recently updated our Kids Classes Guide with a bunch of classes for toddlers, kids, and teens. Classes from writing, reading, and gaming to babysitting classes, arts & crafts classes, music classes, and outdoor classes. You can check it all out here > but if you want a quick sneak peek, keep scrolling down!
Let's Ride! Car Engineering
Day: Monday, July 11, 2022
Time: 3pm
For children 4 years old - 5th Grade. Join us to put together a simple car kit! Supplies are limited. Registration is required. Paid for in part by Dutchess County. Register by using our online registration form.
Register here >
Introduction to Babysitting
Day: Monday, July 11, 2022
Time: 10:30am
Interested in babysitting? Join us for this 3-hour course where you will learn interviewing tips, communication skills and the basics of childcare. Topics will include ages and stages of young babies and toddlers, safety and first aid tips, feeding and caring for children, including diaper changing. Certificates of completion will be distributed to those who complete the course. Paid for in part by Dutchess County. Registration is required. Register by using our online registration from.
Register here >
Tiny Tots
Days: Fridays in July of 2022
Time: 10:30am
Starting July 8, 2022. For ages 6 months to 4 years old. Join Miss Stephanie in the Community Room for 15 minutes of songs, finger plays and stories, plus some play time for you to share with your child. Meet other parents and caregivers. Register for a reminder email by using out online registration form.
Register here >
Summer Stories
Day: Tuesdays from July 5th - August 9th, 2022
Time: 3pm
For children in PreK-2nd grade. Join Miss Stephanie in the Children's Room for this weekly family storytime! Stories are geared toward children who are in PreK-2nd grade, but all ages welcome. Register for a reminder email by using our online registration form.
Register here >
The classes listed above are a quick preview. Check out all of the classes added to the Kids Classes Guide here! A Little Beacon Blog on all updates, be sure you are subscribed to our free newsletter!
Is your amazing class or business not on this list? If you have a class or workshop you'd like to submit for consideration, please submit it to editorial@alittlebeaconblog.com. To enhance your listing with pictures and to get it featured in our weekend newsletter, click here for details.
Bans Off Our Bodies Protests For Abortion Rights, Happening This Week In Corning, NY & Kingston, NY - Happening This Weekend In Kingston, NY & Poughkeepsie, NY
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Abortion rights supporters will continue to gather for a “Bans Off Our Bodies” day of action in support of abortion access and reproductive freedom. We won’t go back!
“The events are part of a nationwide response after a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion revealed the court soon plans to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate constitutional protections for abortion rights - a move that would likely lead 26 states to swiftly ban abortion.”
When:
Centerway Square, Corning, NY from 8pm-9pm TONIGHT, Monday, June 27
YWCA, Kingston, NY from 6pm-7pm Tuesday, June 28
Academy Green Park, Kingston, NY at 11:00am Saturday, July 2
Corner of Main & Market Streets, Poughkeepsie, NY at 1:00pm Saturday, July 2
#wewontgoback
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The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
Dutchess County Helpline. Open 24/7 to take your calls, listen, and give you resources.