Diversity In The Park

By Barrett Seaman—

Fortunately, it did not rain on the Rugelach, nor for that matter on the servings of Noodle Kugel arrayed on a table along with printed information on Temple Beth Abraham and some of the history of the Jewish community in Tarrytown. They were all kept dry under a tent at TaSH at the entrance to Patriots Park on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend—along with representatives of the temple and of Tarrytown’s new Cultural Heritage Recognition Committee (CHRC).

The committee was formed in January “to celebrate and promote cultural awareness and appreciation of the rich diversity within our Village,” according to its description on Tarrytown’s web site. Its mission “is to work with interested community members to develop, plan, and assist Village staff in organizing events and initiatives that foster understanding, acceptance, and respect for all residents.”

Cultural diversity is under attack in some segments of American society these days, but it is not likely to go away when the country—including the rivertowns—is growing more diverse every day. In some ways, the CHRC is pushing back against the ideological foes of DEI. It’s not big and flashy, like the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, itself a manifestation of Tarrytown’s cultural pride. As Village Trustee Thomas Williams, the Board’s liaison with the nine-member committee, poses the question, “Why not other communities?”

The committee’s strategy is to tie an event, if feasible, to a recognized celebration, like February’s Black History Month, to a popular public space, like the Saturday morning TaSH farmers market. The February event enticed visitors to taste desserts from Main Street’s Pik Nik eatery owned by African-American Alberta Jarane and her husband but also to learn about Harriet Tubman’s underground “Byway” that in the decade before the Civil War ferreted enslaved people from the Eastern Shore of Maryland up into the New York area, including Tarrytown.

May is Jewish American Heritage Month, which the CHRC acknowledged by setting up a tent at TaSH, luring visitors with traditional Jewish desserts and handing out a sheet that offered Kugel and Rugelach recipes on one side and some if the Jewish community’s history, which dates back to the late 1800s, on the other.

May is also officially Asian American, Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which the CHRC has squeezed in for Saturday, May 30. The edible enticements will be the creations of Dale Talde, the Michelin-rated head chef at Tarrytown’s Goosefeathers restaurant, and the entertainment will come from Indian comedienne Vijai Nathan.

Other cultural events are still in the making, including one celebrating Tarrytown’s large Hispanic community and its various national subcultures. The Committee plans to meet again this week.

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