ABOUT CATSKILLS UNITY
Catskills Unity is a messaging campaign to express our shared commitment to building a strong, unified community dedicated to safety and equity for all of us who live, work, and attend school in the northwestern Catskills. Together we convey this message through our statement of solidarity, vibrant logo, and array of visual signage.
HOW CATSKILLS UNITY CAME ABOUT
Following the 2021 attacks against Asian Americans, a group of local residents got together to discuss ways we could show solidarity with marginalized communities who have been the target of racist and bigoted attacks. We talked about how many of us feel heartbreak and outrage about these ongoing patterns of violent harm, yet struggle to find appropriate actions.
From this conversation, we formed Catskills Unity to affirm the importance of community and belonging. The Catskills Unity campaign launched on May 25, 2021—to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the police killing of George Floyd—with full-page ads in the County Shopper and the Daily Star signed by over 100 local organizations, businesses, and civic leaders. In conjunction with this launch, Bushel Collective in Delhi presented a giant printout of our Statement of Solidarity in their window for street-level reading in an exhibition titled "Breathing Together: Solidarity and Mutual Aid," May 25–June 14, 2021.
CATSKILLS UNITY WORKING GROUP
We are Meagan Bennett, Krisy Gashler, Sunnie Joh, Quinn Kelley, Peter Kleeman, Laura McClure, Carla Nordstrom, Gerry Gomez Pearlberg, Molly Yakusan Stevens, Mina Takahashi, and Christina Hunt Wood.