The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Julia Bialek

Reflecting on Chappaqua’s 2018 Memorial Day Parade…

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It was such a beautiful day in our country and our community. Community members took a break from their picnics, left their barbeques, and joined together in town to celebrate Memorial Day at the annual parade and ceremony. As the Memorial Day parade began, hundreds of community members lined the streets of downtown Chappaqua to watch the procession move down the hill.

Grand Marshal James McCauley
Vets and residents alike enjoyed a pre-parade, open house breakfast (bagels and coffee for all!)  organized by Veronica Ribeiro (in the jean jacket) and Signy Schroeter Klein (left) outside Ribeiro’s house at the bottom of Ridgewood Terrace; here with the U.S. Army’s Chuck Schroedel and Joanne Clarke.

Among the participants in the parade were Federal, New York State, and Westchester County Dignitaries, World War II, Vietnam War, and Iraq-Afghanistan War Veterans, the Chappaqua Girl Scouts, Brownies, and Daisy Troops, the Chappaqua and Millwood Fire Companies, the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the school bands, and other community organizations. The community-wide event epitomized what Chappaqua stands for, as it captured the diversity, talent, and pure energy of our town.*  Bill and Hillary Clinton, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and more region and town board representatives marched in a row behind Grand Marshal Captain James McCauley who has been leading the parade for nearly 20 years.  

PHOTOS BY HANNAH ROSENBERG

As the parade ended, the crowd made its way towards the Chappaqua Train Station where the Memorial Plaza Ceremony was held. Here, the entire community came together to remember those who died bravely fighting for our country. Dogs barked at the sound of drums while they rolled in the grass, children waved their miniature American flags, and members of the crowd listened intently to the speakers of the afternoon. Some of the events included prayers being recited, the Horace Greeley High School Band beautifully playing the “Star Spangled Banner,” the reading of two New Castle World War II Veterans’ biographies by the Chappaqua Girl Scouts, the reading of the Honor Roll of the Town of New Castle War Dead, and a speech from Colonel John Graham. In Colonel John Graham’s speech, he reminded the town that Memorial Day is not Veterans Day, but rather a day to honor and remember the brave individuals who sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom. “1.3 million Americans have given their lives in the 245 years since Lexington and Concord so that the rest of us can live free,” he said. “More often than not, these heroes have been ordinary citizens who answered the nation’s call when we needed them the most.” A sense of reverence could be felt emanating from the crowd of people in response to these remarks.

   All across the country, the efforts of fallen soldiers will be remembered, their sacrifices will be appreciated, and their lives will be honored. As a nation, and as a community, we will celebrate the lives of those who fought for our country and perished protecting the sacred concept of freedom. In Chappaqua, community members from every walk of life—from the parents carrying their new-born infant in an American flag onesie, to Bill Clinton, a former President of the United States— made it a priority to come together and spend Memorial Day united as a town. Anyone who attended the parade and ceremony was able to gauge the values, passion, and love shared by our community members. Together, with our American flags and Chappaqua pride, we reflected on the important sacrifices that have been made by brave women and men whose names will forever be synonymous with “hero.”

*‘Behind the scenes there is a great deal of time and effort that goes into organizing the parade too, noted New Castle Town Supervisor Robert Greenstein. This year, a  Memorial Day Committee included Peter Gaudet, Barbara Jenkel, David Egerton, Dr. Michael Finkelstein, Lori Townsend and Eric Rosenfeld, as well as Town Administrator Jill Shapiro and Ciara Gannon all of whom were instrumental, per the town of New Castle.

 

Our author finding a moment for a photo with Bill Clinton

Inside Press intern Julia Bialek is a rising senior at Horace Greeley High School where she is also the Managing Editor of the Greeley Tribune.

Additional photos by Hannah Rosenberg (HGHS ’19) for the Inside Press below and on Facebook’s Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk page):https://www.facebook.com/pg/theinsidepress/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10156481813673669

Michael Finkelstein, M.D., (right) was on the Memorial Day Committee. Featured Speaker Col. John Graham is the former Chief Scientist of West Point and Managing Director of Campfire Capital.

How the Walkout Supported An Informed Teenage Citizenry

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March 14, 2018, Chappaqua, NY — It’s been a month since the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. And as is the paradigm, as the days since the tragedy have passed, so has the coverage of it.  However, after the slaughter of 17 innocent lives in a school building, our country has refused to remain silent. We have refused to allow this horrific event to become just another headline, we have refused to allow the victims to become just other statistics. Today specifically, the students of our nation refused to stay silent. Today we walked out.

Photo by ALEX LEVENTHAL, HGHS ’18

I could describe how it felt to have my phone alarm ring at 10 a.m. and watch nearly every student rise out of their seats to walk out of school, communicating with their actions that something must change. I could describe the goosebumps I received as a result of seeing the 17 empty desks displayed outside, a tribute to the 17 innocent lives taken. I could describe the sea of orange outside of our school’s doors, or the gut-wrenching speech given by two students affected by the tragedy. I could describe it all, but it wouldn’t do it justice, because today was bigger than just an isolated protest for gun-safety.

Today we united as a student body (and with student bodies across the country) to take a definitive stand against gun violence and prove that this issue will not just disappear without a fight. We walked out of school with the names of the victims on our tongues, and the prospect of change in our hearts. Too many communities are forever haunted by these harrowing events, too many hallways are stained with blood, too many innocent humans have become victims.

The overwhelming participation this event received at Horace Greeley, as well as at schools across the country, shows how vehemently our country’s youth will fight to change the policies surrounding guns. Even further, today’s walkout showed how passionately my generation will fight to change any policy that ails our country, rather than aids it. Although the point of today’s walkout was to communicate our feelings on gun-safety, a larger idea was communicated: our generation will not be silenced. Today the world witnessed our battle cry.

I take pride in participating in today’s walkout; it will be an experience I will forever value. This experience gave me an opportunity to stand up for what I believe in and stand in solidarity with the victims of the Parkland shooting. But I will also never forget this experience for another reason. By participating in this student-organized, student-led walkout, young people across the country showed that the ability to raise our voices and fight for what we believe is an aspect of our nation that we hold sacred. We expressed our desire to be informed citizens who participate in peaceful protests, a hallmark of our democracy,  in order to affect change. We formed a united front in order to confront an issue plaguing our society, and we continued our vow to take action.

Through our actions today, we demonstrated that we are committed to bettering our country, and truthfully, I have never been more proud to be an American teenager. My generation, the so-called “leaders of tomorrow,” is taking action today. And that makes me feel immensely hopeful.

Moreover, today’s walkout made me feel grateful to live in a community like Chappaqua. Instead of worrying about the consequences of participating in the walkout (expulsion, suspension, etc), I walked out of the school building knowing that I had a community that supported my decision to take action against injustice. Youth participation in our democracy flourished in Chappaqua today, because an environment of safety was fostered, and the expression of opinions was welcomed. Instead of condemning the walkout, instead of merely tolerating the walkout, my community supported this event, which is truly empowering.

I am so incredibly lucky to live in a town where my ability to speak out is encouraged; in fact, if every community encouraged youth participation in democracy like Chappaqua did today, the world would change for the better. We are the fuel for that change.

For 17 minutes today, our generation provided a glimpse into a time in the future when we will be tasked with the responsibility of leading. And we take that responsibility seriously. If today is any indication, when we inherit this country, it will be in many capable hands.

As long as young people keep deciding that our voices will be heard, as long as my generation yearns to affect change, as long as this moment transforms into a movement, I am certain that we have better days ahead of us. So let’s find our passions and fight for them; let’s raise our voices and refuse to be ignored; let’s educate ourselves and learn from others; let’s care about the future that will one day become our reality.

There’s no reason to become the leaders of tomorrow when we can claim those positions today.

 

 

Thank You, Mr. President

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Julia Bialek

January 20th, 2017 will forever be a historic day as it marks the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States. But it is January 21st, not the 20th, that will go down in the history books. It is on that day that hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people responded to a call to action and launched marches and protests across the country and around the world. It all started with a simple Facebook event, launched in the aftermath of the emotional November election, calling for people to march in the nation’s capitol to protest the then President-Elect. But what began as a single Facebook event became something so much more, as thousands pledged to show up and march.

And man, did they show up. On Saturday, January 21st, over half a million people showed up in Washington D.C. for the Women’s March on Washington.

Thousands of more people arrived in D.C to protest Donald Trump’s presidency than to celebrate it. That single Facebook event sparked the rise of “sister marches” and on that same Saturday, in nearly every major city in the country and in cities across the world, similar marches were hosted. Millions of people worldwide came together to make history.

I wish I could say I took part in one of those marches, but I regretfully could not attend. Instead, thanks to modern technology, I sat watching different live streams of protests across the country. I watched people spreading messages of love, and celebrities using their celebrity to enforce unity. I felt the palpable atmosphere of anger and unrest being channeled into action and effort. I admired the creative signs, which expertly mixed satire with political power. 

                                                                                                                                   Inside Press Photo

After quite a while of observing the protests, I decided it was hypocritical of me to just sit and remain watching. In an attempt to take part in the electric movement overtaking the country, I grabbed my dog’s leash and headed outside to go on my own little march. I was immediately struck by how beautiful the weather was outside; it was sunny and unseasonably warm for a January afternoon. I thought back to the day before, Inauguration day, and remembered how rainy and cold D.C. looked, as the President-Elect became President.

The irony was not lost on me. The day Donald Trump, the man who refuses to acknowledge climate change, stepped into office, he was welcomed with dreary, miserable weather. While the day after, when 500,000 people arrived in Washington to protest his arrival, the weather welcomed the masses with a sunny embrace. If that’s not some kind of karmic retribution on behalf of Mother Earth, I don’t know what is.

What began as a march for women became a march for human beings. People of all colors, ethnicities, religions, beliefs, genders, socioeconomic statuses, and purposes came together, stood up, and moved forward both literally and figuratively.

After watching the country step up and speak out, I can truly say I am proud to live in America. Not Donald Trump’s America, but the America that America is supposed to be…

  • The America where the hallmark of democracy is questioning authority when injustice is present and staying resilient when faced with adversity.
  • The America where the right to affect change is not a privilege, but a right.
  • The America where millions of people across the country who are separated by geography can unite under a common goal.

 But there is something so tragic about unity. The tragedy in unity is that often, tragedy causes unity. Examples of this can be cited in almost any major movement (patriotic or otherwise) in America’s history. Before people unite to fight for their beliefs, there is often some kind of misfortune or form of injustice that triggers the movement.

So I would like to take a minute to thank the catalyst of this current movement against intolerance: Donald Trump.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for awakening us to the direction our country is headed, and embodying why we so drastically need to make a change. Thank you for teaching us that our voices are stronger than yours. Thank you for reaffirming the knowledge that our 140 characters can impact just as many people as yours, because words are powerful.

Mr. President, you opened our eyes to the fires of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, intolerance, homophobia, and metathesiophobia (fear of change) that burn in the hearts of too many people. And you have filled our lungs with the breath needed to blow them all out. Thank you, for giving us a reason to march, for giving our voices their purpose.

But there is one thing you should know: we will not give up until justice has prevailed. We will keep marching and not sit down until the entire country is walking with us.

Julia Bialek is a sophomore at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua.

Additional Inside Press Photos from the 2017 Woman’s March on Washington may be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsideChappaquaMagazine/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10154922219633669