Nyack’s Sam Waymon Wrote Music for “Freedom Summer”

Nyack’s Sam Waymon Wrote Music for “Freedom Summer”

BY GEORGE J. DACRE Musical and film legend Sam Waymon of Nyack wrote the gospel-humming song “Mrs. Jackson” in memory of an 85-year-old black woman who members of the Students Nonviolent Coordinating Committee helped to register to vote in Mississippi in 1964. Another song, “Freedom Is My Name,” recalls the days of violence and the […]

Force of Nature Ellen Ratner Captivates Crowd at The Nyack Center

Force of Nature Ellen Ratner Captivates Crowd at The Nyack Center

BY CAROLYN JOHNSON In the film, Oscar-winning film director Barbara Kopple follows Ratner on assignment, from her home base in Washington, DC to hurricane-ravaged Mississippi to war-torn South Sudan. We meet key figures in her life, including partner Cholene Espinoza and high-profile siblings Michael, a human rights lawyer and Bruce, a real estate developer. Ratner’s best friend, musician […]