The horrors recently being perpetrated upon refugees seeking a safe haven in America have driven many to contemplate once again the message of “The New Colossus,” Emma Lazarus’ 1883 poem that is inscribed on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty. “Huddled masses yearning to breathe free” don’t seem to get the welcome anymore that this nation has long promised them.
Lazarus, it turns out, was a friend, relative and fellow Shearith Israel congregant of the Gomez family, whose home in Marlboro is now known as the Gomez Mill House Historic Site. On Sunday, May 19 at 1:30 p.m., Hudson Valley poets Alyta Adams, Margaret Fox, Roberta Gould, Mona Toscano and Gloria Winter will gather at the Gomez Mill House to recite poems by Emma Lazarus and other historic female American poets. Orange County poet laureate Robert Milby will emcee.
Admission is free as part of the ongoing Sunday at Mill House event series. A complimentary tour of the House follows the event. The historic site is located at 11 Mill House Road in Marlboro. To learn more, visit https://gomez.org/sundays.html.
Emma Lazarus Poetry Day
Sunday May 19, 1:30 p.m.
Free
Gomez Mill House Historic Site
11 Mill House Road (off Route 9W), Marlboro
(845) 236-3126
https://gomez.org/sundays.html