Month: December 2023

When I was working on my book about Blackwell’s Island, I wanted to address the experiences of people of color on the island. There were actually relatively view people on color in any of the institutions. Quick backstory: In the 19th century New York City owned Blackwell’s Island (now called Roosevelt Island) and they used it to build public institutions like the Lunatic Asylum, the Workhouse, a penitentiary, an Almshouse and a public hospital for the poor.

I started keeping track of how many people of color showed up in the yearly censuses for the buildings and at a certain point I also noted their names. It is a rough, very rough list, and not at all complete, but I just came across it and I thought this might be useful for anyone researching people of color on Blackwell’s Island, either for research or genealogical purposes. I don’t want to post names here, but if you are looking for someone of color who might have been on Blackwell’s Island, or are doing genealogical research, please feel free to reach out to me. stacymariahorn@gmail.com

An inmate/patient or worker on Blackwell’s Island:

People actually lining up to see our concert! We did an utterly sublime Ola Gjeilo piece, Serenity, (O Magnum Mysterium) and apparently he was listening and enjoyed it! The cello line in the piece is so beautiful it breaks my heart. You should go to YouTube and listen to it.

I love the original painting, or was it a print? There’s a small reproduction of it hanging on my wall to the right of my desk right now, as I type! These bags are too expensive for me, and I don’t use handbags anyway, but still. I’d kinda love to have the tote bag in the middle on the left. Then a pen would break inside it, ruin it, and I’d be heart-broken.

In the 1970s, when I was a stupid teenage smoker, I carried a lighter with his LOVE image on it. I have fond memories of that lighter. People are weird.

UPDATE: Someone, I know not who, sent me a set of vintage stamps with Robert Indiana’s LOVE image on them!! Thank you whoever did that!! That was so sweet of you. They came from this wonderful place, PostageStamps4U, that sells vintage stamps.