Barrett Announces 2026 Women’s History Booklet

Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-Dutchess/Columbia) announced the 2026 edition of “Women’s History in the Hudson Valley – Ten Stories from Columbia and Dutchess Counties”, an annual booklet created by her office highlighting the stories of ten trailblazing women from the Hudson Valley. Assemblymember Barrett has produced this booklet every year for Women’s History Month in partnership with the Mid-Hudson Library System, and this year’s edition is now available at libraries and high schools across the 106th Assembly District.

“We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and young people growing up today deserve to know more about the lives and achievements of extraordinary women who lived in their own communities. I’m so proud to share these stories each year as part of our Women’s History Month celebrations and thank our Mid-Hudson Library System for their partnership in distributing our annual booklets.”

“Women’s history is everyone’s history, and we are proud to once again partner with Assemblymember Barrett to celebrate the stories of Hudson Valley women who have shaped our region,” said Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Executive Director of the Mid-Hudson Library System. “By lifting up these stories, we hope young people will feel inspired to follow in the footsteps of those who came before them.”

This year’s highlighted women include civil rights advocates, artists, authors, community leaders, and businesswomen from the 18th to the 21st century. Included in this year’s booklet is Laurie Quinn, a leader in the recovery community who helped create Columbia County Pathways to Recovery and trained countless Certified Recovery Peer Advocates across the Hudson Valley. Eunice Mauwee, another woman profiled, served as a respected knowledge keeper, safeguarding the stories, lineage and cultural traditions of her people and ensuring that generations of Mahican and Schaghticoke history — including those deeply rooted in the Hudson Valley — would endure. You can learn more about these extraordinary women and others in this year’s edition.