the view from August 2
THE J’EDIT
History Took The Field
Earlier this summer, I stood in Rothermel Park in Kinderhook, New York, not to watch the little league baseball game that was double booked to use the field, but to watch the event that was originally scheduled to have taken place there: The Original Kinderhook Black Family Reunion Pinkster Festival!
Pinkster Festivals were a regular sight in the upstate New York of the 1700s-to-1800s; they started as a Dutch Christian holiday, but by the mid-1700s had become a springtime reunion and celebration for enslaved and free Black communities across the state.
I wrote a previous newsletter about this event and its history, but I also wanted to produce a podcast episode about it! So this week’s show is an audio postcard sent to you from the parade, which was organized by the African American Archive of Columbia County, in partnership with the Village of Kinderhook, the Columbia County Historical Society, and the National Park Service.
I don't know who won the baseball game, but it sounded exciting,
James
THE JIFFY AUDIO NEWSLETTER PODCAST
A Postcard From Pinkster Fest
click the image to hear the episode
Some Interesting Pinkster Fest Pull Quotes:
For a lot of people, [Pinkster Festivals] might be the only time in the year that they would see other people that they were related to… maybe the only time that they would hear their native languages.
They go into these towns for three, four days and the slave owners expect them to come back, but they might give them some cash… It reminds me of the European tradition of resistance… the peasants say, 'We’re in charge now.'
[King Charley] He's necessary, he's part of the procession, he leads it, he hangs with the parade for the weeks that it's there and all the enslaved people look up to him... Everybody respects Charley.
QUICK UPDATE: I’M IN A COHORT NOW
the 10 journalists in the Project C ONA25 Creator Cohort
It’s a good time to be in a cohort, especially because it’s a hard time to be an independent media enterprise! And so I’m thrilled, honored, grateful, gobsmacked, and confused to have been selected as one of 10 creators in the inaugural Creator Cohort from Project C, a newsletter that has been a huge resource for me as I try and make a living from The Jiffy.
Project C is an initiative from Liz Kelly Nelson that supports independent journalists navigating the world of creator-led media. Through a newsletter, courses, research, and a members-only Slack, they’ve given us a community with strategies to build sustainable, audience-driven businesses while maintaining high editorial standards.
I’ll be in New Orleans for the annual Online News Association (ONA) conference in September, and I’ll share what we learn here in the newsletter. It’s been a loooooong time since I’ve been to New Orleans, so if you’ve got any recs or things I should check out while I’m there, shoot me a message!!
And if you’re into journalism that’s personal, specific, and built from the ground up, read more or subscribe at projectc.biz!
Advertisement:
Here’s What a 1-Day Gutter Guards Upgrade Should Cost You In 2025
Forget about climbing ladders or clearing wet leaves out of your gutters. Keep your home safe and boost its value with a simple, long-lasting solution. More than 410,000 homeowners already made the switch — and love the results.
Find out how it works and see local, no-middleman pricing today.
Did someone kind forward this to you?
Join "The Jiffy" to get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox every time! Subscribe here.
