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Applications are open for stewardship of the historic Van Cortlandt House — a stone dwelling built by the owner of a slave plantation in the Bronx. It’s now curated by The National Society of Colonial Dames of New York, an organization whose membership is limited to descendants of white colonialists. The Dames want to extend their stewardship. And the people of The Bronx shouldn’t stand for it.
(This is in response to Danielle Herbert Guggenheim’s point of view on the National Society of Colonial Dames of New York’s stewardship of the Van Cortlandt House.) On behalf of the NSCDNY (National Society of Colonial Dames of New York), I appreciate Mrs. Guggenheim’s candor and welcome the dialogue that we hope will follow. While I do not agree with every point that she makes in her letter, I firmly agree with her sentiment that America is not defined by one type of person or perspective. The Dames’ mission is one of preservation, education, and patriotic Service for ALL Americans, a...
Community Board 8 members questioned last week whether the stewards at Van Cortlandt House Museum were the right fit for the community. The New York Chapter of the National Society of Colonial Dames has been critiqued for a “lack of programming” and their membership criteria, which some have argued is exclusionary to people of color.
Once again, a space women created in response to male exclusion is being taken away — this time the Daughters of the American Revolution.
An upcoming Allied Arts exhibit will celebrate the work of one of the organization’s founders and Milledgeville’s beloved former first lady.