POUGHKEEPSIE – MHA Dutchess chose Wednesday, Juneteenth, to introduce themselves and their services to visitors to Malcolm X Park on Mansion Street in Poughkeepsie. From peer services to Vet2Vet, staff and volunteers from MHA Dutchess were offering the shade of tents, food, and the chance to interact with counselors in a passive setting.
State Senator Rob Rolison (R-39) visited the park to meet with the MHA Dutchess peer counselors while enjoying a hot dog. While serving as Poughkeepsie Mayor, Rolison was instrumental in revitalizing the long-neglected Malcolm X Park. Since the renaissance of the park, it has become a popular place for the community to gather for basketball practice and tournaments while others seek to enjoy the shade of the creekside pavilion. He did note that another segment of the community, drug-dependent and the homeless population seek out parks in Poughkeepsie and elsewhere for their needs. Rolison was pleased the Poughkeepsie-based MHA Dutchess had a presence in the park on Wednesday. “They’re here helping people,” Rolison stated.
“Freedom is so important and this has the historical meaning of freedom,” Rolison said and associated the event with Juneteenth, adding “We talked about the slaves in Texas who finally found out they were free and we really need to keep that in mind – there was a time when people weren’t free and now we live in a time when people are not free from the things they have going on in their own lives.” He was referencing the people who use the parks for temporary housing along with illegal drug use.
MHA Dutchess CEO Andrew O’Grady said “Juneteenth is a celebration of a long overdue moment in our US history, which moved us past the marginalization of a specific group. Just because something is made a law doesn’t mean it is going to change long-standing engrained prejudice. we still struggle with that to this day. Having an event like we are having today at Malcolm X Park, on a small level, brings people together further reduces, prejudice, and celebrates freedom.”
