Author Debra Bruno discovered that her Dutch ancestors were enslavers in New York, and then met Eleanor Mire, a descendent of the people her family enslaved. She decided to research the years of New York slavery and to tell the story in her book: A Hudson Valley Reckoning: Discovering the Forgotten History of Slaveholding in My Dutch American Family. 

Bruno and Mire realized they shared an ancestral home in the river towns of Greene County on the west bank of the Hudson.  They learned that New York’s two hundred years of slavery began in 1600s New Netherland and extended well into the 19th century. 

On Wednesday, June 4, at 2 p.m. in the Clubhouse II auditorium, Bruno will discuss her findings, the complicated history, and unexpected friendship. 

The Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) sponsors this presentation, and residents are asked to register beginning May 6 by calling or visiting the Lifestyle office of either clubhouse. A $5 fee will be collected at the door and can be paid by cash or check payable to the Center for Lifelong Learning. 

About the Presenter 

Debra Bruno is a lifelong journalist based in Washington, D.C. She has written for the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications, and has worked at Roll Call, Legal Times, and elsewhere. She was a freelance writer in China for three years, where she wrote about subjects as diverse as hutongs, traditional medicine, and tourism.