Port Jervis – At 6:00pm on Saturday, September 18, 2021 the Port Jervis Free Library will host a remote 90 minute panel discussion entitled "Remembering the Lynching of Robert Lewis:  A Community's Injustice."  

Organized by Friends of Robert Lewis, a diverse group of like-minded individuals committed to advancing social justice, the program will feature three knowledgeable panelists touching upon different aspects of the lynching, the era in which it occurred, a historical portrait of 1892 Port Jervis, and where things stand today.   Following the discussion, which will also allow panelists a chance to spontaneously interact, attendees from the public will have the opportunity to ask questions about the lynching and what the panelists presented. 

A link to the required pre-registration for this limited attendance presentation, along with details on the panelists and its moderator, is found on the library's Facebook page here:  https://fb.me/e/1BOVQhXc3

On June 2, 1892, Robert Lewis, a Black citizen, was lynched on East Main Street in Port Jervis, NY.  Fueled by a rumor he had raped a white woman, the highly publicized lynching received widespread national attention.   Although news accounts of the day reported the mob that lynched Mr. Lewis was in the thousands, no one was held accountable for his murder.