Debra Bruno and Eleanor Mire grew up knowing nothing about the history of slavery in the Hudson Valley. Through their research, however, they discovered not only that they both descended from families in Greene County just south of Albany, but also that Debra’s ancestors had enslaved Eleanor’s ancestors. Additional research unearthed another connection – the two women were genetically related. This talk draws on Debra Bruno’s new book, A Hudson Valley Reckoning: Discovering the Forgotten History of Slaveholding in My Dutch American Family, and will include an in-person conversation with Eleanor Mire.
Debra Bruno is a longtime Washington, D.C. journalist. Eleanor Mire is a retired construction worker and a longtime resident of Malden, Mass.
Talk co-sponsored by Commemorate and the Irvington Public Library.
Admission is free
