The 1940 U.S. Post Office murals were painted by local renowned artist Olin Dows under the careful supervision of then U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. Dows had persuaded Roosevelt that the murals should depict the history of Rhinebeck including enslaved persons of color. Slavery was not abolished in New York State until 1827.
In community conversations at the end of 2020 about the best way to move toward a more complete and inclusive history, in this public space specifically, it was decided that rather than remove or alter any of the murals that important context be added. This booklet is that context.
Contributors to that conversation included Laura Kufner, as well as Carmen McGill, Jackie Harper and Nancy Foster of the Poughkeepsie-based Celebrating the African Spirit, and Rhinebeck community members Gary Bassett, Sophie Geller, Elizabeth Spinzia, and Brendt Sverdloff, County Historian Will Tatum, DCHS colleague Melodye Moore, and Bard College Professor Myra Armstead.
