Students Explore Bullying Issues at Annual Bill of Rights Day Event

Questions are raised on free speech rights.

Students from Nellie A. Thornton High School in Mount Vernon and Hendrick Hudson High School in Montrose attended the Lower Hudson Valley Chapter’s Annual Bill of Rights Day on Dec. 15 at St. Paul’s Church in Mt. Vernon.

This year, we celebrated the 220th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights. Following a welcome by Mount Vernon City Councilperson Roberta Apuzzo, student recited the text of the Bill of Rights.

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Chapter Announces Bill of Rights Essay Contest Winners

First Prize winner Robert Liebowitz of Tuckahoe High School.

The Lower Hudson Valley Chapter received more than 70 essays for its Bill of Rights Essay Contest. This year’s topic was bullying in school. We presented students a scenario in which four students were repeatedly bullied for being “different.”

We asked students to explore how schools should address bullying. We also asked them to consider how the Dignity for All Students Act will empower students and educators to prevent bullying and harassment.

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13th Annual Schwarzschild Memorial Lecture

Lecture Addresses Police Reform

On Thursday, Oct. 27, the Lower Hudson Valley Chapter, along with the Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action and the Black Student Union, held the 13th Annual Henry Schwarzschild Memorial Lecture on police reform at Manhattanville College’s Reid Castle in Purchase.

This year’s speaker was Robert Gangi, the executive director of the Correctional Association (CA) for more than 29 years who recently founded the Police Reform Organizing Project (PROP) at the Urban Justice Center. A recognized expert on criminal justice and law enforcement issues, he has fought throughout his career for the humane treatment of prisoners and the protection of their rights. Though his work focuses on New York City police, he spoke on the need for universal police reform. He recounted past instances where he witnessed and was sometimes subjected to abuse of power by the police. He also talked about how police target minorities and that most of those incarcerated are people of color.

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Chapter Confronts Challenges to 14th Amendment with Lively Forum

NYCLU Advocacy Director Udi Ofer

On March 29, the Lower Hudson Valley Chapter held a public forum called, “Confronting Challenges to the 14th Amendment.” The informative event was held to discuss the recent proposals to reinterpret the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment. This movement threatens to take away the birthright citizenship of those born to undocumented parents. More than 70 people attended.

NYCLU Advocacy Director Udi Ofer served as the keynote speaker. He talked about the history and legal cases that support the rights of those undocumented. He later clarified the facts from the myths surrounding about undocumented immigrants. Ofer went on to answer audience members’ questions on various aspects of the legality of immigration.

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