View the Annual Report 2026
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View the Annual Report 2026 〰️
Honoring the Legacy of Africans and their Descendants in Poughkeepsie, NY
Celebrating the African Spirit presents memorials to honor the contributions of Africans and their descendants to the building and growth of Poughkeepsie and the Dutchess County region, from the work of the earliest enslaved persons through today.
A community celebration rooted in history
On August 1, Frederick Douglass Day 2026 brought students, artists, and neighbors together at College Hill Park in Poughkeepsie to honor Douglass’s legacy. Twenty CAS Summer Intensive students shared their work alongside live music, storytelling, drumming, dance, and a free community meal.
Thank you to everyone who made this year’s celebration one to remember.
Watch the highlights and explore the celebration.
A new chapter for the CAS Memorial Marker
On Juneteenth 2026, we celebrated the CAS Memorial Marker’s first anniversary at Waryas Park with poetry, African drumming, and community reflections. We also unveiled a new interpretive sign exploring the Marker’s four panels and the contributions of enslaved Africans who helped build Poughkeepsie and the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Visit the Marker to discover this history, or watch highlights from the celebration.
Explore the History of Upper Landing Park
Walk the trail to Upper Landing Park, and learn about its relationship with the history of enslaved Africans and their descendants.
POEM BY ANTHONY T. BROWDER, Transition 13
We knew not
We studied
We learned all there was to know
We taught others
Then we forgot what we had learned
and then forgot we had forgotten
Now we are taught (by those whom were once taught by us)
knowledge
(that we already had)
So…
we study
we learn all there is to know
we teach others
WILL WE FORGET AGAIN…
