Documentary Screening: The Peekskill Riots Episode One

On August 27 and September 4th, 1949, violence broke out at two concerts held outside Peekskill, NY, headlined by black singer, actor, and activist Paul Robeson. Citizens of Peekskill, galvanized by racist and anti-Semitic sentiments and disdain for Robeson’s left-wing views and campaign for civil rights, started two riots that resulted in hundreds of injuries, made national news, and unofficially marked the beginning of the McCarthy era, which would nearly erase Robeson from the public consciousness. Who was he? What did he do? What did he stand for? These questions must be answered in order to understand what brought him to Peekskill.

This first episode of a 5-part docu-series will serve not only as an introduction to the story of the concerts, but it will also introduce the headlining performer, Paul Robeson, the first and last casualty of The Peekskill Riots.

After the screening we will have a Q & A Session with filmmaker Jon Scott Bennett.