Local civil rights leader passes away

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POUGHKEEPSIE – Elouise Maxey died on June 15, just days before President Biden signing legislation making June 19th, Juneteenth, a national holiday, signifying the end to slavery in the United States.

Ms. Maxey was president of the Northern Dutchess NAACP and an outspoken civil rights leader in the region.

Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison remembers her as a woman who fought “tirelessly and faithfully for racial justice and equality” throughout her life.

“She was never afraid, in her position as a community leader to speak her mind, and I always appreciated that,´ he said. “I got to know her in my days in the Town of Poughkeepsie PD ad the county legislature and them becoming mayor, spoke on lots of occasions,” he said. “She was a very respectful and graceful individual who did so much for all of us.”

Rolison said Ms. Maxey “seemingly never rested.” He noted she condemned the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, “yet she also called for peaceful, nonviolent protests in response, not wanting to see others hurt during these demonstrations.




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