Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification and Race in a Small American City book talk

The Benjamin Center for Public Policy Initiatives and the Sociology Department at SUNY New Paltz are pleased to welcome Richard Ocejo, to the College on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.

Dr. Ocejo will discuss his book Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification and Race in a Small American City, “an unvarnished portrait of gentrification in an underprivileged, minority-majority small city,” from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m., in the Coykendall Science Building Auditorium.

With a focus on Newburgh, NY, the book is “an intimate exploration of the moral dilemma at the heart of gentrification, Sixty Miles Upriver explains how progressive White gentrifiers justify controversial urban changes as morally good, and how their actions carry profound and lasting consequences for vulnerable residents of color.”

This event is free and open to the public. If you have accessibility questions or require accommodations to fully participate in this event, please contact the Benjamin Center at benjamincenter@newpaltz.edu as soon as possible.

About Dr. Richard Ocejo Dr. Ocejo is a professor of sociology at John Jay College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He is the author of Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification and Race in a Small American City, Masters of Craft: Old Jobs in the New Urban Economy, and Upscaling Downtown: From Bowery Saloons to Cocktail Bars in New York City (both Princeton). For more information about Dr. Ocejo, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu/faculty/richard-e-ocejo.

About The Benjamin Center The Benjamin Center (formerly CRREO) was established in 2007 to help SUNY New Paltz engage with communities, governments, not-for-profits, and businesses in the Hudson Valley and New York State. The Center conducts and publicizes research on important policies and topics in the region and across the state. For more information on The Benjamin Center and its initiatives, visit www.newpaltz.edu/benjamincenter.

About Sociology at SUNY New Paltz The Department of Sociology at SUNY New Paltz offers three program options. Students who want exposure to a wide array of sociological topics can major in the basic Sociology Program. This includes a set of core course requirements as well as a broad array of elective topics. Students can also choose to concentrate in Human Services, a program that will prepare students to work directly with people in need of support. A third option is the Criminology Concentration, a program designed for students with a focused interest in the issues of crime and justice. For more information about Sociology at SUNY New Paltz, visit www.newpaltz.edu/sociology.