Tickets are now available for Still We Stand: Beyond the Peekskill Riots, the Robeson in Peekskill Project’s third annual commemoration of the Peekskill Riots and celebration of the legacy of Paul Robeson. The program will take place on Sunday, September 13 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill, New York.
Presented by the Robeson in Peekskill Project, an initiative of Living Artist Society, Still We Stand brings together music, storytelling, history, youth voices, and community performers in a program that honors Robeson not only as a magnificent artist but as a scholar, activist, and global voice for human dignity.
Tickets are available through the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater website at
tinyurl.com/SWSTIX
ROBESON’S HISTORY IN PEEKSKILL
On August 27, 1949, Paul Robeson came to Peekskill, NY to perform a benefit concert for the Harlem chapter of the Civil Rights Congress. The show was derailed by a violent mob fueled by rising Red Scare fears, racial tensions, political repression, and media propaganda.
But Robeson refused to be silenced. He returned on September 4th, determined to sing and speak for justice. This time, 1,500 volunteer concert guards— mostly union laborers —formed a human chain around the concert grounds to protect him. Inside that barrier of solidarity, 20,000 people gathered to hear Robeson perform spirituals, folk songs, and anthems of resistance.
Though the concert was once again marred by violence outside its gates, the human chain held strong. Thanks to their courage, Robeson’s voice soared over the Hudson Valley that day—defiant, unbroken, and unforgettable.
The violence surrounding those concerts became a defining local and national flashpoint; one that continues to raise urgent questions about freedom of expression, civic courage, and collective responsibility.
“As an artist I came to sing. As a citizen I speak for peace. And no one will silence me in this.” – Paul Robeson
THE COMMEMORATION EVENT
Still We Stand looks at that history not as a closed chapter but as an ongoing story. The program illuminates what Robeson’s example can still teach us about unity, dignity, courage, and responsibility to those who will come after us.
“The forces that collided here in 1949 - racism, antisemitism, political repression, and propaganda – are not behind us. Still We Stand is our invitation to gather as a community to remember, to listen, to sing, and to ask what Paul Robeson’s legacy means for us now. This history belongs to all of us as does the responsibility to carry forward its lessons with courage, creativity, and care for one another.” said Wendy Talio, Chair of the Robeson in Peekskill Project and Founder of Living Artist Society.
The 2026 program will be hosted and narrated by Shana L. Redmond, award-winning author of Everything Man: The Form and Function of Paul Robeson. and Jon Scott Bennett, a documentary filmmaker and historian known for his work on the Peekskill Riots will provide visuals.
Featured performers include the Resistance Revival Chorus, a New York City-based collective known for bringing joy, protest music, and movement songs to major stages including Carnegie Hall, The Apollo, Newport Folk Festival, and the Grammys; Cole Quest and the City Pickers, a roots and bluegrass band led by Cole Quest, grandson of Woody Guthrie; AMAUTA, an Ecuadorian and Andean music ensemble dedicated to preserving Indigenous history, music, and culture; and Bria The Artist, a singer, songwriter, producer, and multidisciplinary creative from Peekskill; the Peekskill City Singers, Peekskill High School’s advanced a Capella chorus brings the voices of our youth together in harmony.
Together, they will create an afternoon that is rooted in history, alive with the energy of the present, and designed to invite audiences of all ages to reflect, connect, and sing.
EVENT DETAILS
What: Still We Stand: Beyond the Peekskill Riots
When: Sunday, September 13 3–5 pm
Where: Paramount Hudson Valley Theater, Peekskill
Tickets: tinyurl.com/SWSTIX
Admission:
- Regular $35
- Seniors 65+ $25
- Students $15
- Kids 12 and Under (must be accompanied by an adult): $5
