Crossing Divides

“Crossing Divides documents a journey from the Hudson to Standing Rock on the banks of the Missouri River, where Vernon Benjamin delivered supplies to Indigenous protesters opposing construction of an oil pipeline they feared would desecrate and contaminate their ancestral land and waters. Benjamin’s account of his trip into the heart of the Lakota encampment is wrapped in his own personal story – journalist, political leader, academic, friend to New York’s Mohawk Nation, and activist. This is a little book with a big heart.”

--Ned Sullivan, President, Scenic Hudson

"Vernon Benjamin meant a lot to me as a friend, mentor, and devoted citizen of Saugerties. He wrote the definitive history of the Hudson River Valley. Late in life he also wrote this account of his trip to Standing Rock to help protesters trying to stop an oil pipeline. In this book we get the essence of Vernon -- his deep feelings for history and Native Americans, his years of work for the environment, even his self-doubts. Read this book and meet a remarkable man.” --Fred Costello, Saugerties Town Supervisor

"Vernon Benjamin was one of those special people in our community: journalist, public official, historian, supporter of good causes, and friend, especially a friend. Yet at 70 he drove west to the Standing Rock protests. This book is a powerful testament to the fact that we're never too old to fight against injustices. Or to learn new things about ourselves. In not many pages Vernon Benjamin tells a sweeping story about what it means to care about history and all of us caught in these tumultuous times. This is a little gem of a book I won't forget anytime soon.”

--Greg Helsmoortel, former Saugerties Town Supervisor