News, Highlights + More

Statement Regarding the Desmond-Fish Public Library's Name

On Saturday, March 9, 2024, a majority of the Board of Trustees of the Desmond-Fish Public Library voted to retain the library’s official name:
the Alice Curtis Desmond and Hamilton Fish Library.

The open meeting vote followed discussion during which trustees expressed a variety of points of view. The trustees thanked all the members of the community who have shared their thoughts over the past 15 months, including those who wrote letters, attended board meetings, participated in library conversations, completed a survey, and served on a name review working group.  Despite divided opinions, the community has shown remarkable trust and engagement throughout the entire process.

In acknowledging the recommendations of the name review working group, the library will continue to host programming that is informative about the era; add to its substantial physical and online collection of books and other resources dealing with 20th century history, including that of Hamilton Fish III; and plan other actions with the goal of continuing to make the library a welcoming place for all members of the community. The executive committee of the board, led by first vice president George Lansbury and second vice president Libby Anderson and including other trustees and advisory council members,  will direct the library’s response. 

Board president Anita Prentice thanked her fellow trustees, library staff, and especially director Dede Farabaugh for keeping the library dedicated to patron service throughout the name review process. She emphasized that the library will continue to grow as an institution, as we gain new insights into our role in the community.  The staff and trustees strongly condemn prejudice and intolerance, and remain committed to working actively against racism, bias, and discrimination in all forms.

Health Injustice, Life, Death, and Dr. King

On Monday, January 15th, Virginia A. Brown, bioethicist and research scholar at The Hastings Center, delivered an electrifying lecture for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Injustice in Health and its Relationship to Physical Death: “Getting King’s Words Right.”

Dr.  Brown is a research scholar in social justice and population health. She joined The Hastings Center in Garrison in September 2023 from the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School where she served as an assistant professor in the department of population health in the division of Community Engagement and Health Equity and as the associate director of the Liberal Arts Honors program in the College of Liberal Arts.

“I am a public sociologist,” she explains, “and we look at ethical issues in health and health care as public challenges rather than personal troubles.”  Her recent work has focused on protecting the autonomy of persons living with serious mental illness using psychiatric advance directives.  Dr. Brown began her work in health care ethics at Howard University’s College of Medicine where her interest in the intersection of race, ethics, community involvement, and social justice evolved. At The Hastings Center, Dr. Brown continues her research by expanding her inquiry to include attending to the question, “What does bioethics owe justice?”  

Watch a recording of the presentation below!