Hudson Mohawk Magazine

Tuesday, June 20 was World Refugee Day. To mark the day Opalka gallery hosted a fundraiser for Refugee and Immigrant Support Services (RIISE). At the event, they screened the documentary, "Utica: The Last Refuge" about a family from Sudan who settled in Utica NY. After the screening, Moses Nagel spoke to the films' director, Loch Phillips.

www.lastrefugedocumentary.com

Victory Soul Orchestra will perform at the Freedom Fest revival (taking place for the first time since covid) on Saturday, June 24. Front vocalist JB, aka Dirty Moses, spoke with Sina Basila Hickey and Mark Dunlea about the band's sound, the influence of hip hop, and the evolution of the group. Performances begin at 2pm and activities go until 5pm. More info here: https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/freedom-fest-2023/

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine:

We begin with an interview with Mark Dunlea's interview with Albany County Legislator Mert Simpson, who will be in the Democratic Party primary on June 27.

Then, for our peace bucket, Mark Dunlea talks with John Amidon about the upcoming trial for his October 2022 protest at the Nevada National Security Site.

Later on, Victory Soul Orchestra, one of the performers from this weekend’s Freedom Fest, talks to us about their music and what to expect this Saturday.

After that, as part of the Troy NAACP’s Juneteenth celebration, Willie Terry spoke with Harshil Patel of Sharqiaa about awareness in solidarity with Sudan.

Finally, Matilda Rinker-Tennant interviews a turtle rescuer from North Country Wild Care about what to look out for during turtle season.

It's turtle season which means that turtles are crossing streets to lay eggs. Turtle rehabilitator Debbie Philip, of North Country Wild Care, was interviewed by correspondent Matilda Rinker-Tennant about what to watch out for, what types of turtles are in our area, and what goes into turtle care.

Open source image "Wood turtle crossing the trial" by daveynin

On Monday, June 19, 2023, Hudson Mohawk Magazine Roaming Labor Correspondent Willie Terry attended the Troy NAACP 2023 Juneteenth in Geneva Pompey Park in Troy. In this segment, Willie spoke with Harshil Patel, who was with the group Sharqiaa (In Solidarity with Sudan), about their Juneteenth Fundraiser for Sudan.

Today, on the Hudson Mohawk Magazine,

First, Jodi Smits Anderson of the Albany Riverfront Collaborative outlines alternate visions which embrace community, climate resiliency, and increased access to the Hudson River.

Then, HMM Reporter Dulicina Diggs sat down with AWS Software Engineer Casey Gerena to discuss why he pursued degrees in STEM

Later on, In this segment, Wille recorded Ashley Mayfield singing the Black National Anthem, and he interviewed Renee Powell, President of the Troy NAACP, about the Juneteenth event.

After that, Azuré Keahi chats with Troy metal sculptor Fredda Merzon about gardens, found object art, and her upcoming botanical sculpture show in Troy beginning Friday, 23rd, throughSunday the 25th.

Finally, In this week's “Talking with Poets” Thom Francis speaks with Luis 'L-Majesty' Pabon. We hear his new poem, "Did you make it home safe tonight?"

Luis 'L-Majesty' Pabon is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Poet and Spoken Word Artist born and raised in the Bronx, NY. He is the author of eight books of poetry including Bone Jelly, Bitter Boy Love Poems, Earth's Bad Mouth, Raw Slaughter, Inclinations, and most recently Trouble Man (Kindle Publishing Direct, 2021) Luis has just completed his next full collection of poems entitled Luxurious Wreckage that is coming out later this year.

In this second part of our conversation, we talk about how Luis uses his writing to heal, how poetry can be a force for change, and his new collection of poems. Plus we hear a new poem, "Did you make it home safe tonight?"

Azuré Keahi chats with Troy metal sculptor Fredda Merzon about gardens, found object art, and her upcoming botanical sculpture show. Azuré and Fredda have been connecting for weekly welding dates as Azuré learns new skills for integrating into the Sanctuary's Eco Art Trail.

Fredda Merzon's upcoming botanical sculpture show "Up from Junk" will take place at her home garden in Troy beginning Friday, 23rd, 3-6pm with showings on Saturday, June 24th from 10am-5pm and 25th from 11am-4pm. Folks interested in attending should email [email protected] for the address.

On Sunday, June 18, 2023, Hudson Mohawk Magazine Roaming Labor Correspondent Willie Terry attended the Troy NAACP Juneteenth 2023 Weekend Event in downtown Troy Riverfront Park. In this segment, Wille recorded Ashley Mayfield singing the Black National Anthem, and he interviewed Renee Powell, President of the Troy NAACP, about the Juneteenth event.

Schenectady City Council President Marion Porterfield is running in the June 27 Democratic Party primary for Mayor of Schenectady. She discusses her campaign with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.